Love Grows
by Rosa Magnifica
Summary: [Squinoa] After the death of Ultimecia, Squall and his comrades must take on a new mission, but Rinoa is forbidden to take part. For a sorceress, being without a knight if only for a few hectic hours can lead to much more turmoil... [Ch. 16 up!]
1. An Interesting Morning

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
An Interesting Morning  
  
Squall woke in his dorm room one cold winter's day. It had only been a few days ago when he and the rest of the SeeDs had finally defeated Sorceress Ultimecia. The time compression had been a nightmare that hadn't seemed to end, but fortunately, Squall had been reunited with the girl that had opened up his cold, uncaring heart.  
  
Rinoa.  
  
The celebrations of the death of Ultimecia had been Squall's most affectionate night ever. And it had been only last night. On the Balamb Garden balcony, he and Rinoa stood talking to one another. A shooting star had flown past, Rinoa pointed at it, and the couple had kissed for the first time.  
  
After remembering this, Squall became aware that he was shivering, for all his blankets had fallen off his bed.  
  
He got out of bed, without even making it, and stepped into the small bathroom. (SeeDs' dormitories had been modernized.)  
  
Squall splashed some water onto his face, and freshened himself up, unaware of the small knock on his door. He was also unaware of the footsteps that tiptoed into his room, and stopped near his bed.  
  
When Squall finished up in the bathroom, he was shocked to find his messy bed beautifully made. He was even more shocked to discover a raven-black- haired girl sitting on the end of it, obviously waiting for him.  
  
Rinoa grinned happily at Squall's shocked face, bounded up to him and flung her arms around him.  
  
"Good-morning Squall!" said Rinoa cheerfully.  
  
Squall returned the embrace and smiled at his angelic beauty.  
  
"Thanks for making my.. um.. bed," he said, rather awkwardly.  
  
"Don't mention it," said Rinoa.  
  
There was a short silence, before Rinoa kissed Squall on the cheek and said, "I couldn't wait to see you, I just had to come. I'm so glad that everything's over,"  
  
Squall stroked Rinoa's soft hair.  
  
"Me too. It was like a nightmare that wouldn't end,"  
  
"But it's over now," whispered Rinoa, hugging Squall tightly.  
  
Squall noticed that Rinoa was wearing her usual blue attire. He would never get sick of those clothes, because he would never get sick of Rinoa. Looking down at his own clothes, Squall was surprised to find that he was only in his white T-shirt and black pants.  
  
"I'd better get my jacket on," said Squall, more to himself than to Rinoa.  
  
"Don't worry I'll get it," said Rinoa, and she skipped over to Squall's closet. When she came out, she had Squall's jacket on!  
  
Squall meanwhile, had been sitting on the end of his bed, deep in thought. As soon as he saw Rinoa wearing the jacket that was far too big, Squall chuckled to himself and Rinoa leaped onto his lap, causing Squall to fall back on the bed with Rinoa on top of him.  
  
Before he knew what was happening, Squall was being kissed passionately on his lips. He returned the kiss timidly, which made Rinoa kiss him even more.  
  
No one had ever shown him this much love and affection before. Not even Sis. I guess that Rinoa is the girl I'm supposed to spend my life with, thought Squall. I don't deserve her though..  
  
Being content with everything he had, Squall, instead if worrying himself to death, let Rinoa kiss him.  
  
  
  
OK so "Chapter One" is finished. Hope you liked it, (it was pretty short and didn't have much going on though.) Please R+R, because that will inspire me to write the following chapters. Thanx! ( 


	2. Lunch and Puzzlement

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
Lunch and Puzzlement  
  
Squall sat in his office, trying to concentrate on his paper work. It was so boring, that he found himself thinking about other things. For instance, Rinoa. She was all he thought about now.  
  
After trying his very hardest to finish off his work, Squall shook himself and decided that he would do it later. Right now, he needed lunch.  
  
Squall stepped into the cafeteria and looked around for a vacant table. Damn, he thought. Then the girl that had been in his room only a few hours ago caught Squall's eye. Rinoa was sitting by herself at a table, with her back to him.  
  
Slowly, Squall walked over to her so that he was right behind Rinoa. Then, after looking around so that no one would see his next act, Squall quickly kissed the top of Rinoa's head. She turned around in surprise to find her knight, blushing slightly.  
  
Rinoa got up off her seat and threw her arms around Squall's neck, kissing his lips lightly. Squall glanced around at everyone in the cafeteria. Thank God! thought Squall. No one was looking! Actually a group of giggling girls were, but he didn't care. On second thoughts, Squall didn't really care if the whole of the cafeteria was looking at them because everyone knew that Squall and Rinoa were deeply in love.  
  
"Oh, Squall," said Rinoa softly to him. "That was so sweet of you! I was getting REALLY lonely too,"  
  
"I was getting sick of paper work so I thought I'd have lunch," said Squall. Rinoa let go of Squall's neck so that he could order his lunch.  
  
While digging in to a nice sandwich, Squall listened intently to Rinoa's little speech about how she joined the "Timber Forest Owls."  
  
Her sweet little voice made Squall want to pick her up and cuddle her.  
  
Just then, Irvine came walking into the cafeteria carrying something on his back. He was heaving and sweating as if he'd been carrying whatever he was carrying all his life.  
  
At that moment, Squall and Rinoa realised that the heavy load on Irvine's back was.. Selphie! Irvine was giving her a piggyback!  
  
Rinoa laughed so hard at the look of exhaustion on Irvine's face, and Squall smiled a little bit at the look of triumph on Selphie's face.  
  
When Irvine reached them, he plonked Selphie down onto the seat next to Rinoa, and collapsed into one of the other chairs.  
  
"So Irvine, how long have you been carrying Selphie around for?" asked Rinoa, trying to stop herself from giggling.  
  
"One.. h-hour at.. least!" panted Irvine.  
  
"Aww, come on Irvey, it felt like 10 minutes!" said Selphie. "Anyway I need lunch!" And Selphie tucked into a cheeseburger after ordering it. Irvine kept drinking humongous amounts of water until he was bloated.  
  
Then Selphie exclaimed, "OK Irvey time to go! Let me get onto you first!"  
  
A look of dread crossed Irvine's face and he said, "Uh.. Seph.. how about you giving me a piggyback?"  
  
Selphie put her hands on her hips and said crossly, "Hey! Irvine that wasn't even a funny joke! Now bend over and let me get onto you!"  
  
Irvine bent over slowly and muttered something that sounded like, "But I really meant it.." and the hunched Irvine set off on his long journey again.  
  
Rinoa smiled and said to Squall, "What a funny couple they are,"  
  
"You can say that again.." replied Squall simply.  
  
Suddenly, a voice broke out from the loudspeaker: "Attention! Would Squall Leonhart please report to the Headmaster's office immediately on the [third floor]"  
  
"Guess I'd better go then," said Squall, even though he wanted to stay with Rinoa.  
  
"Yeah.. ok then Squall I'll meet you back in your room!" yelled Rinoa, as Squall ran off.  
  
What does she mean she'll meet me in my room? thought Squall, as he ran to the elevator. She has her own dorm room.. oh well, no point in worrying about things like that.  
  
As Squall reached the [third floor] he stepped out to find Headmaster Cid standing at the window.  
  
"Sir?" said Squall, expressionless.  
  
"Ah yes, Squall. Thank you for coming. I have some information for you," said Cid, turning around.  
  
"Yes?" said Squall impatiently.  
  
"Well, the SeeD Graduation Ball is approaching soon, and there are many new young faces that are graduating. You will attend, yes?"  
  
"I have to sir. I'm the Commander," Squall folded his arms and looked away.  
  
"Yes of course. Also, the President of Esthar will be attending," said Cid.  
  
".. And how does that affect me?" said Squall, thinking why the hell would that lunatic waste his time coming to Balamb.  
  
"Oh no Squall, it doesn't affect you in any way. I just thought you might like to know since he's.. well, you know," said the Headmaster uncomfortably.  
  
"No sir, I don't know," said Squall.  
  
Cid sighed. "The President of Esthar is somewhat connected to you in a way,"  
  
Squall groaned. "Just because I experienced living some of his life, doesn't mean that I'm 'connected' to that moro - er, guy."  
  
Cid faced the window again. "You will learn in time Squall. Do not worry. Dismissed!"  
  
Squall saluted and ran back to the elevator.  
  
What the hell is he talking about? I have no connection to Laguna whatsoever. Laguna is crazy! thought Squall.  
  
Forgetting about his whole encounter with the Headmaster, Squall ran on, looking forward to seeing Rinoa's beautiful face again. 


	3. The Secret Area

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
The Secret Area  
  
Squall entered his dorm room, to find Rinoa asleep on top of his bed. She looked so cute and adorable, that Squall smiled in spite of himself. Poor girl, he thought. She waited for so long for me to come back that she fell asleep.  
  
He walked over to her, bent down and tucked her raven hair behind her ears. Rinoa stirred a little and then opened her sleepy eyes.  
  
"S-sorry I didn't mean to wake you," said Squall in a worried tone.  
  
"It's alright. I shouldn't have fallen asleep anyway," said Rinoa in a soft, sleepy voice.  
  
Squall sat down on the bed next to Rinoa. She put one arm across his chest and leaned her head against his shoulder. Squall slowly put his arm around her. Rinoa giggled softly at this sudden act.  
  
"Uh.. Rinoa, the SeeD Graduation Ball is coming up soon and I was wondering if you.." said Squall, trailing off.  
  
"If I.." said Rinoa mimetically.  
  
"Well, if you'd come with me," said Squall hopefully.  
  
Rinoa sat up and said, "Of course I'll come Squall! You didn't have to ask me!"  
  
"Well I just thought that you might have other things to do," said Squall, looking away.  
  
"Squall, even if I did have other plans, there's no place I'd rather be than with you!" said Rinoa, tapping Squall's chest with one finger at her last sentence.  
  
Squall smiled, pulled Rinoa close to him, and kissed her lips passionately. Rinoa smiled while he was kissing her and slipped her arms around him.  
  
  
  
Later that day, Squall made up his mind to finish off his paperwork once and for all so that he could spend more time with Rinoa.  
  
Finally, he did it! Triumphantly, Squall gathered it all up and put it in a pile at the side of his desk. Running out of his office, he started to sweat a bit, so Squall decided to take a shower when he got back in his room.  
  
When Squall reached the dorm rooms, he, instead of going into his own dorm room, knocked on the door of Rinoa's.  
  
"Who is it?" called the familiar voice.  
  
"Me," called back Squall.  
  
"Squall? If that's you, don't come in!" yelled Rinoa.  
  
"Why not?" said Squall, felling a little bit hurt, but knowing that Rinoa wasn't mad at him.  
  
"Because.. ah, um.. just don't come in! I'll meet you at the [Secret Area] at 6:00 ok Squall?" said Rinoa.  
  
"Ok, I guess.." said Squall.  
  
"Don't be mad at me please, Squall?" asked Rinoa.  
  
"I'm not mad, just confused," said Squall, in a confused voice.  
  
"Oh ok then. Well anyway, meet me there alright sweetie?" said Rinoa in an adorable voice.  
  
"Uh.. ok, then," sad Squall. Sweetie? What's she calling me that for? I'm no sweetie.. at least I think I'm not.. thought Squall.  
  
He slowly walked back to his dorm room, wondering what Rinoa had up her sleeve. Couple of months ago, Squall wouldn't have even been talking to Rinoa the way he did. She sure had changed him..  
  
Squall stepped into the bathroom and took a nice hot shower. He figured he'd better look his best when he met up with Rinoa, since she sounded as though she was getting ready too.  
  
He decided to just wear his usual black, leather jacket that Rinoa loved so much. Sometimes she liked to snuggle up against the soft, furry bit near the neck.  
  
Squall then pulled on his black gloves, along with his two belts that went around his waist in a certain way.  
  
  
  
Squall then waited for quite a long time before he set off for the [Secret Area]. He made his way through the beautiful gardens that was the [Secret Area] which was deserted. Maybe Rinoa told everyone to clear off tonight, thought Squall.  
  
He walked some more, before finding the beautiful girl he was searching for, sitting down waiting for him.  
  
Squall was stunned because she looked so pretty in her short, cream coloured little skirt. Rinoa saw the look on his face and she giggled.  
  
Standing up, she said, "Thanks so much for coming Squall. I brought dinner for us,"  
  
Feeling hungry all of a sudden, Squall sat down with Rinoa and they ate a nice dinner while exchanging romantic looks at one another.  
  
When they'd both finished, Squall helped Rinoa clear away the remains of the little meal.  
  
"Thanks for dinner Rinoa," said Squall.  
  
"That's ok. I enjoyed making it!" replied Rinoa.  
  
"What?! You made it?! Rinoa, that was delicious!" exclaimed Squall.  
  
"Hee hee, I'm glad you liked it," said Rinoa softly.  
  
"I loved it," said Squall, smiling. "Especially since you made it."  
  
Rinoa moved over to Squall, to sit in his lap. She put her arms around his neck and said suddenly, "Squall, guess what?"  
  
"What?" asked Squall.  
  
"Well, I sort of.. no not sort of.." Rinoa trailed off, feeling embarrassed.  
  
"What are you trying to say Rinoa?" asked Squall curiously.  
  
"Squall, what I'm trying to say is.. I love you," Rinoa looked at him.  
  
Squall was stunned. "Rinoa." he said quietly.  
  
Rinoa put a finger to her lips and shook her head. "No, Squall. You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know, that's all."  
  
But Squall felt he had to say something. And not just because he wanted to make her feel better, it was because he knew that he felt something very deep inside him that was love.  
  
But he just couldn't get the words out. So Squall took Rinoa in his arms from where she was sitting on his lap, and hugged her tightly.  
  
Rinoa was slightly disappointed. She knew that she had told him not to say anything, but she still wasn't completely satisfied.  
  
When the couple had stopped hugging each other, they made their way back to the dormitory, together.  
  
Squall went into his room, and Rinoa followed him.  
  
"Aren't you going back to your dorm?" he asked.  
  
"Umm, not exactly. It gets lonely there all by myself, so.. do you think I could stay the night in here, with you?" asked Rinoa, blushing slightly.  
  
"Sure, I guess," replied Squall.  
  
"Yay! Thanks Squall!"  
  
And Rinoa bounded up to him and planted a kiss on his cheek.  
  
Rinoa brought in her things from her own dorm room, and went into the bathroom to get changed.  
  
Squall just took off his jacket.  
  
When Rinoa came out of the bathroom, she was wearing a baby blue nightgown that only went down to her thighs.  
  
Rinoa smiled at Squall and got into his bed.  
  
Squall was taken aback. "Wha.. hey! W-where will I sleep?"  
  
"In here with me, of course!" answered Rinoa, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
Squall slowly got into the bed next to Rinoa. There wasn't much room, but he soon made himself comfortable.  
  
Rinoa put Squall's arm around her and held it there.  
  
Then Squall fidgeted a bit, causing Rinoa to look at him, with a puzzled expression on her face.  
  
"Sorry. It's just that.." said Squall.  
  
"It's just that.. what?" asked Rinoa.  
  
"I need to tell you this because I know it will just kill me if I don't." Squall took a deep breath and said, "Rinoa, I really do love you. Please don't think that I don't."  
  
"Squall." whispered Rinoa. And she cuddled up to him to keep warm during the night, and also because he had made her so happy.  
  
  
  
Ok, finally Ch. 3 is done. Hope you liked it, and sorry about the long wait. Plz R+R and tell me what you thought because I'd like to know. Give me some time to start Ch. 4! 


	4. A New Mission

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
A New Mission  
  
That night, Squall dreamt of something he dreaded to think about.  
  
He had to take matters into his own hands now. If he was going to save Rinoa, he had to go out into space and bring her back. But he couldn't. He just couldn't seem to find her. But then he did see her. She was far away from him, struggling to stay alive in her spacesuit. And then he saw it. The memory of Rinoa in space had jumbled up and now he was experiencing something different. The glass of the spacesuit, which was in front of Rinoa's face, smashed.  
  
Squall sat up abruptly in the middle of the night, wide-eyed and on the verge of screaming.  
  
"Rinoa!" he yelled. Squall clutched at the person lying next to him who had woken up at the sound of Squall's awakening.  
  
"Squall it's alright!" Rinoa took Squall's hand in hers and forced him to calm down.  
  
"You had a bad dream didn't you?" asked Rinoa, still holding onto Squall's hand.  
  
"Rinoa, you.I." stuttered Squall, trying to forget about the dream.  
  
"It's ok Squall. Whatever happened in the dream wasn't real. Because I'm here with you now, aren't I?" said Rinoa in a quiet voice.  
  
"Y-yeah. Guess I shouldn't overreact like that," mumbled Squall.  
  
"No no, Squall. It's alright to get scared in a dream. Dreams are really weird. They're much scarier than real life if you have a bad one," said Rinoa holding Squall's arm tight and smiling at him to make him feel better.  
  
Squall gave a small smile. "Thanks Rinoa,"  
  
Rinoa's smile broadened. "I'll always be here for you Squall. Don't forget that. Now go back to sleep and if you have any more frights, then just wake me up, ok?"  
  
"Ok." said Squall. He didn't really like the sound of waking her up. She could get dangerous when she was in a grumpy mood.  
  
Squall lay back down again and Rinoa held onto his arm again. When she lay down, she didn't let go but continued to cling to him all through the night. Squall didn't mind a bit. In fact, it helped him to get to sleep and her arms around his arm made sure that he had no more dreams that night.  
  
  
  
The next morning, Squall awoke for the first time with someone beside him. The little angelic figure was sleeping like an angel with her arm still clinging onto Squall's.  
  
Squall debated whether or not he should wake her, for it was 7:45 and she looked so peaceful tucked under the covers.  
  
But Squall had to go and have breakfast, so he would have to wake her because she was holding his arm.  
  
".Rinoa," whispered Squall.  
  
"Mmm." said Rinoa, obviously not fully awake yet.  
  
"Rinoa," Squall tried again. "Rin, I'm going now. Are you going to come with me or stay here?"  
  
Rinoa opened one eye and said sleepily, "Squall I want to come with you. Carry me to the bathroom?"  
  
"Yeah whatever," said Squall, taking off the blankets and lifting Rinoa off the bed.  
  
He carried her into the bathroom and stood her up so she could have a shower and get changed.  
  
Squall waited for the water in the bathroom to stop.  
  
Finally Rinoa came out dressed in blue as usual, and Squall stepped in.  
  
When Squall came out of the bathroom, Rinoa was holding out his black jacket and she put it on him.  
  
"Squall, I was just thinking, I haven't seen Quistis since the party," said Rinoa.  
  
"Yeah she had to go on a special mission that involves killing all the monsters near Balamb. The monsters there are coming in slowly, but once she and the other SeeDs dispose of them, they won't be coming back," said Squall, folding his arms.  
  
Rinoa asked again, "And what about Zell?"  
  
"Probably sleeps in the Cafeteria now that they've got an extra supply of hotdogs," said Squall, putting one hand on his forehead and shaking his head at Zell's crazy antics.  
  
Rinoa put her hands behind her back and said, "You're definitely not crazy like Zell, Squall. Although you could try to be a bit more sociable to other people," said Rinoa, turning her head on one side and leaning it towards him.  
  
"I talk to you," said Squall, feeling slightly uncomfortable on the subject of him.  
  
"Yeah, you do now. But what about other people?" asked Rinoa.  
  
"Don't you like having the privilege of being the only one I talk to the most?" asked Squall, looking away.  
  
"Yep, I love it," giggled Rinoa. She kissed Squall's lips softly.  
  
"Then don't tell me to talk to other people. I don't feel like it," said Squall.  
  
"Alright, let's go have breakfast. Oh and um.could you give me a piggy- back? I like it," said Rinoa, blushing.  
  
Squall smiled. "You know, when you were in a coma, I had to piggy-back you all the way to Esthar."  
  
"Really? Wow that must have been hard work. I bet I was enjoying it all the way," said Rinoa.  
  
Squall put one hand on his hip. "It wasn't hard work. You're light so I could carry you anywhere. And besides, you couldn't have been enjoying it if you were in a coma."  
  
"Oh yeah.anyway let's get going," said Rinoa. And she got on the bed, letting Squall take her on his back, and hold her there.  
  
Squall walked to the cafeteria with Rinoa on his back. On the way, a girl who was flirting with a SeeD member stopped and giggled at the pair. Some card-lovers stopped to look at this new amusement. One of the SeeD members who knew Squall, said in surprise, "Hey Commander Leonhart! Since when did you become the new ladies man?"  
  
Squall ignored this comment, but Rinoa stuck her tongue out at him and said crossly, "Squall isn't a ladies man; he's only doing this for me!"  
  
And so the couple made their way to the cafeteria, took a seat, and ordered breakfast.  
  
While they were eating, a girl behind them said, "Squall, you did well carrying Rinoa up here. Irvine didn't do as well with Selphie."  
  
Turning around, Squall never expected to find a smiling Ellone sitting at the table behind him.  
  
"Hello Squall," she said, waving her hand. She got up and came to sit down next to Squall and Rinoa.  
  
"What are you doing in Balamb?" asked Squall, ignoring Ellone's greeting.  
  
"Before I tell you that, I want to ask you how you've been," said Ellone.  
  
".Fine I guess," mumbled Squall.  
  
"Great. Oh sorry Rinoa, how are you?" smiled Ellone, turning her head to the girl beside Squall.  
  
"I'm great!" answered Rinoa.  
  
"Good I'm glad that you're all well. Anyway, here's why I'm here: I was staying with Laguna before I came to see you. Everyone in Esthar is ecstatic about Sorceress Ultimecia's defeat. We can't thank you enough for defeating her," Ellone stopped her speech and looked at Squall's reaction. Of course, it was expressionless.  
  
"Yes?" said Squall.  
  
"Ok well, just recently I was talking to Kiros and Ward in Esthar. Well it was mostly Kiros doing the talking if you know what I mean. Anyway, they were telling me that the Galbadians are planning an attack on Winhill. Why they choose to attack Winhill is anyone's guess. Kiros and Ward had been informed this by Laguna. Of course, he and I are frantic to make sure that nothing ever happens to Winhill. It was where we both grew up; for a time anyway." On saying this, Ellone looked down.  
  
Rinoa touched Ellone's arm and said reassuringly, "Don't worry Ellone. I'm sure Winhill will be alright if someone helps."  
  
"Yes that's just what I was about to say Rinoa," said Ellone. She turned to Squall. "I need your help Squall. If you will accept, your objective will be to stand alongside Laguna, Kiros, Ward, and 4 of your comrades whom you fought with at the battle with Ultimecia. We only need 8 fighters, because the Galbadians have produced a unique way of battle. They have created a system that will injure you and the others badly if there is an odd amount of fighters. And of course, we need as much help as we can get. You are the only ones strong enough to take on this mission. So please Squall, this is the last favour I am asking of you." There was something in Ellone's eyes that helped Squall to accept.  
  
At first though, he was unsure. "What do you think Rinoa?" asked Squall.  
  
"I say yes! Of course we will help you! I want to help fight too," said Rinoa excitedly.  
  
Ellone sighed and said quietly, "I was afraid of that. You see Rinoa, I have a hunch that the Galbadian Army is attacking Winhill because they know that if they do, all of you will come to stop them. And of course, one of the fighters who they think will be coming is the sorceress." Ellone trailed off.  
  
Rinoa looked puzzled. "A-are you saying that I can't fight with everyone else?"  
  
"If you come and fight with everyone, the Galbadians would kidnap you, threaten to kill you, and hold you hostage. I'm sorry, but I can't risk you coming. I hope you understand," said Ellone.  
  
Rinoa's mouth dropped open. Before she could say anything, Squall said quickly, "But you said it was just a hunch, right?"  
  
Ellone shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid that it is more than just a hunch Squall. Remember, I have special powers that can always come in handy."  
  
Squall frowned and said, "If you're right about all this then what will the ransom price be for the freedom of Rinoa?"  
  
Ellone closed her eyes. "I fear that the price will be.Balamb Garden."  
  
There was complete silence between the three sitting at the table. Rinoa was the one who broke the silence.  
  
"What?! No, they can't! What do they want Balamb Garden for anyway?"  
  
"The Galbadians have always had a plan to steal Balamb Garden from Cid Kramer," said Ellone.  
  
"Wait a minute." said Squall. "Why didn't you go and tell Headmaster Cid all of this instead of coming straight to us?"  
  
"I thought it best to inform you before I told the Headmaster, because he would probably explain it all to you very briefly. It is compulsory that you know exactly what to do in this situation.if you don't want to lose Balamb Garden," said Ellone. "So now you know what this is all about."  
  
Rinoa's face went from anxious back to miserable. "But.I really want to help out. Anyway Ellone, Squall would make sure that I don't get kidnapped."  
  
"I can't risk it. I'm telling you all of this because I know how much the Garden means to everyone," said Ellone.  
  
"Squall." said Rinoa, turning to Squall.  
  
But he had the same expression Ellone had on. "I'm sorry Rinoa, but I have to agree with Ellone. I can't risk you getting hurt and I know that they would hurt you if they had to."  
  
Rinoa pouted.  
  
Just then, Zell came jogging up to them.  
  
"Yo, guys! Hey, Ellone, what brings you to Garden?" said Zell, while punching an invisible punching-bag.  
  
"Hello. It's quite a long story why I'm here, but let's just say that I need your help," said Ellone.  
  
Zell stopped punching the air and looked at Ellone with a puzzled expression.  
  
Squall looked at Zell and said, "I'll explain it to you later, but Quistis, Irvine and Selphie will need to know as well."  
  
".Right. Then we'll wait for them to come. Oh yeah, Quistis'll be here in about half an hour," said Zell, scratching the back of his head.  
  
Ellone said, "I'm sorry, I didn't give you the chance to finish your breakfast."  
  
So Squall and Rinoa continued to eat their breakfast, while Zell said triumphantly, "I got to eat 7 hotdogs today! Boy was I bloated. YEAH!!!" And Zell patted his stomach as if it was a pet.  
  
When they finished breakfast, Ellone got up. "I'll come with you to speak to the Headmaster. We'll need to contact Quistis, Irvine and Selphie somehow."  
  
"Loudspeaker!" said Zell.  
  
"Right then. Let's go," said Ellone.  
  
The four set off towards the elevator, before pressing the button that lead to the third floor.  
  
When they arrived in Cid's office, he was sitting in his brown chair.  
  
"Why hello Squall, Rinoa, young Zell and.Ellone?" said Cid.  
  
Everyone saluted except Rinoa and Ellone.  
  
Squall stepped forward. "Sir, before we tell you why we're here, we will need Quistis, Irvine and Selphie up here too." (Half an hour had already passed.)  
  
Cid nodded slowly. "Very well. Oh by the way, in case you were wondering, Edea is at the orphanage cleaning it up. She'll be back this afternoon."  
  
He stepped over to the microphone, turned it on and said very clearly, "Attention! This is Headmaster Cid. Could Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt please report to my office on the [third floor]!  
  
I repeat:  
  
Could Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt please report to my office on the [third floor]! Thankyou."  
  
Everyone waited, and presently, in came Irvine and Selphie, followed by Quistis.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Selphie.  
  
"Yeah, shoot!" said Irvine in surprise, as he looked around at all the serious faces.  
  
"It seems as though there's something important going on," said Quistis intelligently.  
  
"Ah yes, Quistis. Was the mission successful?" asked Cid.  
  
Quistis saluted. "Yes sir. We all agree that Balamb is no longer in danger of too many monsters coming in, although we still can't work out why the monsters decided to swarm in."  
  
"Yes good, good. Now Ellone, I believe you have something important to tell everyone?" said the Headmaster, raising both his eyebrows.  
  
Ellone nodded then started to repeat her long speech. Every now and again, there came a gasp from Selphie, or a "you serious?" from Zell, or a "no way!" from Irvine. Quistis remained silent, obviously taking in the information calmly.  
  
Rinoa was still disappointed about not being able to fight. She clung to Squall and hugged him tightly while Ellone was speaking. Squall whispered a "sorry" to Rinoa, and she managed to force out a smile.  
  
When Ellone finished talking, the room was quite quiet. Everyone was shocked at the thought of losing Balamb Garden, especially Headmaster Cid.  
  
Of course, Selphie was always in high spirits and she jumped up into the air saying, "Hey guys! Don't be so down in the dumps! We've got a mission to complete!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Finally I did Ch. 4! This is the longest chapter so far, and I'm really, really sorry for the super long wait. I've been so busy playing FF8 that I forgot all about my story! ( Plz R+R and then I will write Ch.5, (but only if I get some reviews!) :P 


	5. On the Ragnarok

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
On the Ragnarok  
  
Everyone agreed that this was no time to worry themselves to death over their new mission.  
  
Ellone spoke up. "I think we should go and talk to Laguna, Kiros and Ward about all of this. They don't know that you have agreed to the mission yet."  
  
Squall wasn't listening though. He was thinking about how Ellone seemed to be very formal that morning. She was usually cheerful and casual around him and the others. Squall guessed it was because she was tense about the Galbadians' attack.  
  
So Squall, Rinoa, Ellone, Zell, Quistis, Irvine and Selphie all made their way to the [gate] at their own pace.  
  
Ellone lead the way, thinking about what "Uncle Laguna" was doing right now.  
  
Quistis followed close behind, with Zell kicking the air behind her. Quistis rolled her eyes.  
  
Selphie was skipping along, while Irvine was trying to keep up with her.  
  
"How can you be so cheerful at a time like this, Selph?" asked Irvine.  
  
"I'm not that cheerful, only excited, you know? Come to think of it, I'm really nervous!" said Selphie, with an "oh well!" expression o her face.  
  
"Figures! Seeing as we're about to embark on a really important mission!" said Irvine sarcastically.  
  
Lastly, Squall and Rinoa were taking their time to get to the gate.  
  
"Squall, I really want to help you and the others fight!" said Rinoa.  
  
"Rinoa we talked about this already. I don't want you to fight because I don't want them to kidnap you. You know as well as I do that that is going to happen if we're not careful," said Squall.  
  
"But we will be careful Squall! We will! Oh please!" nagged Rinoa.  
  
"No Rinoa. Don't argue with me anymore. It's best that you stay with Ellone at Esthar while we take care of the mission."  
  
To cheer her up a bit more, Squall put his arm round Rinoa and pulled her close to him.  
  
That definitely did the trick, because she smiled at him and put her arm round him too.  
  
Eventually, everyone came to the [gate]. They all stood around, and then Zell said energetically, "So.. how we s'posed to get to Esthar? Car? Train? Boat?"  
  
"Train! Train! Train!" yelled Selphie.  
  
Squall shook his head and said, "It'd be quicker if we all went on the Ragnarok, but it's still in Esthar."  
  
Everyone sighed heavily.  
  
"Oh that shouldn't be a problem," said Quistis, pulling a small device out of her pocket. "It's like a remote-control, except it senses where the Ragnarok is, and brings it to wherever the remote-control is."  
  
"Woo hoo! Quistis you're a genius!" shouted Selphie.  
  
Quistis smiled. "With the help of Nida and Xu, I was able to create this clever little invention."  
  
"Ok Quistis, do your stuff!" said Zell.  
  
Quistis pushed a red button on the device..  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, people in Esthar were living their normal lives, when there was a loud noise coming from somewhere in the city. To everyone's surprise, a red robotic-like space-craft, (also known as the Ragnarok) rose up into the sky and flew off in the direction of Balamb.  
  
  
  
Presently, the 7 individuals were pleasantly surprised to see the Ragnarok flying towards them.  
  
"Oh yeah!!!" yelled Zell, punching the air again.  
  
"Way to go Quistis!" said Rinoa.  
  
"Yup I knew she had potential," said Selphie, nodding her head.  
  
After everyone stopped praising Quistis, they all got into the Ragnarok.  
  
Selphie took her usual seat in the pilot's seat, with Irvine in the one next to her.  
  
Quistis took a seat next to Ellone.  
  
Zell jumped into the seat in front of Squall and Rinoa. He looked back at them, with a fake-serious expression on his face.  
  
"You two behave back there ok? Any funny business and you're out! Understand?" Zell tried to keep a straight face.  
  
Rinoa looked at him quizzically. Squall frowned at him.  
  
Zell groaned and shook his head. "Chill guys! It was only a joke!"  
  
Rinoa shrugged.  
  
Selphie called to everyone, "Hey guys! Fasten your seatbelts, 'coz we have lift-off!"  
  
Sure enough, the Ragnarok slowly rose above the ground, and then flew off.  
  
Rinoa smiled at Squall.  
  
He knew why she was smiling. It was because she remembered when they were all alone that frightening time in space, on the Ragnarok.  
  
Squall smiled back, as Rinoa repeated her action. She got up and sat in Squall's lap, with her arms around his neck.  
  
"Rinoa," said Squall. "It seems like this all started when Ultimecia was defeated."  
  
Rinoa looked surprised. "Oh Squall, have you really been that blind? It all started in Deling City, at the Sorceress Assassination. That's when I started to develop small feelings for you."  
  
Squall looked up at the ceiling of the Ragnarok. "Even though you were a complete stranger, you made me like you a little bit, at the SeeD Graduation Ball, just like you said you would.  
  
Rinoa leaned closer towards him, finally kissing his lips.  
  
Squall kept her there in his grip, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.  
  
Words didn't need to express what the couple were feeling at that moment, for the delicate head leaning on the broad shoulder, and the strong arms supporting the angelic figure, said it all.  
  
  
  
Pretty short chapter, but at least it's done. Plz review, tell me how you liked that particular chapter, and I will definitely continue eventually, if not soon!( By the way, I haven't been doing this at all in my previous chapters, so I'm going to start now. This chapter was dedicated to:  
  
Squall Leonhart, krnman, RinoaOHeartilly, Angelwhisper, the-angel-of-the- lion, Momiji-chan and cloud strife. Thankyou all very much for reviewing Ch. 4. Sorry to those who reviewed my other chapters, it's dedicated to you too.  
  
Note: I suggest that you read a fanfic written by Wumbahi. 


	6. Making Plans in Esthar

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
Making Plans in Esthar  
  
"Ok guys, looks like we're in Esthar!" yelled Selphie from the pilot's seat, as she landed the Ragnarok.  
  
Everyone got up out of their seat, and made their way towards the exit of the Ragnarok.  
  
Squall was walking in front of Rinoa. No one noticed, but she was secretly holding his hand, being led to the exit.  
  
When everyone stepped out, they all blinked their eyes in the bright sunlight.  
  
"Yep nothing's changed much since last time we were here," commented Zell wisely.  
  
Quistis cleared her throat. "Um, Zell, we were only here less than a week ago."  
  
Selphie exploded into an outburst of laughter. Irvine tapped Zell's forehead with his gun, as if to say, "yeah duh-brain!"  
  
"Watch where you're pointin' that thing!" exclaimed Zell angrily.  
  
"Alright break it up; we have to talk to Laguna now! I'm sure Ellone is anxious to see him again," said Quistis.  
  
"Thankyou," nodded Ellone. "I am."  
  
"Yeah I want to see him too!" said Rinoa, surprisingly.  
  
"Why?" asked Squall, in a half shocked voice.  
  
Rinoa looked down and shifted her feet. "I don't know, I guess...... he's nice, and cheery."  
  
Ellone grinned. For the first time, she looked like her old self again. "I agree with you Rinoa. That's one of the reasons why I love Uncle Laguna."  
  
Everyone smiled at the sound of Ellone calling Laguna that.  
  
"C'mon people! We better get going!" reminded Selphie.  
  
So everyone walked into the city of Esthar. (Selphie had landed just outside the city, even though she could have landed right in it.)  
  
Some people stared at them, and others said things like, "Hi Ellone! How're things?"  
  
Ellone smiled and nodded at them, not having any time to stop and chat.  
  
Finally, the gang came to the Presidential Palace.  
  
Ellone went in first, followed by everyone else.  
  
There stood old Kiros, Ward and the President himself, Laguna.  
  
As soon as he saw his precious little girl, he shouted, "Hey Ell! You're back!"  
  
Ellone beamed and ran into his arms.  
  
While he was holding Ellone, Laguna saw everyone else standing in the doorway.  
  
"Looks like you got them to agree Ell," whispered Laguna to Ellone.  
  
She nodded.  
  
Laguna let go of Ellone and stepped forward. "Thanks all for coming. Wouldn't be able to pull this off if you guys weren't here to help. After all, you did beat Ultimecia." He folded his arms, looked upwards and nodded his head.  
  
Squall frowned. "Whatever. So when do we go to Winhill?"  
  
"Hey Squall, how's it going? Still you're usual antisocial self I presume?" grinned Laguna, without answering Squall's question.  
  
"Not around me he's not!" Rinoa stepped forward and smiled widely.  
  
"Hi Rinoa, how are you today?" Laguna walked over to Rinoa and shook her hand.  
  
"Fine thankyou," smiled Rinoa.  
  
"Good to hear. And everyone else is well?" said Laguna, nodding to Quistis, Irvine and Selphie.  
  
"Yup!" said Selphie.  
  
"Peachy!" said Irvine.  
  
"I'm okay," nodded Quistis.  
  
Laguna looked behind him and looked startled. "Oh yeah I almost forgot! Kiros and Ward are here too!"  
  
"Good morning," said Kiros.  
  
Ward just raised his hand as a sign of hello.  
  
"Poor guy," whispered Selphie to Irvine. She remembered when Ward had lost his voice.  
  
"Ok now that we've got that over with, let's start planning how we're going to do this!" said Laguna.  
  
Everyone came forward towards Laguna. He sat down on a seat that was behind a desk-like table. Laguna motioned for everyone to sit down on the seats that he had prepared for them. They all sat down in one.  
  
Kiros smiled slyly and whispered to the newcomers, "Laguna was so excited about you all coming, that he had to set everything up so that it would be perfect!"  
  
Alas, Laguna heard and yelled in an irritated voice, "Hey shut up Kiros! I only wanted them to be comfortable! It's not like I was organising a tea- party!"  
  
At this, Ward smirked. Laguna just glared at him.  
  
"Hopefully there'll be no more interruptions! Now I'll explain what has to be done in Winhill. Ellone explained what the mission is about right?" Laguna looked curiously at everyone.  
  
They nodded.  
  
Squall spoke up surprisingly. "How did you know we would agree?"  
  
Laguna smiled. "I didn't. I figured that my Ell would convince you to accept to the mission."  
  
Ellone blushed a little when all eyes were fixed on her.  
  
"Alrighty. Listen up everyone," said Laguna. "As you all know, Rinoa will not be able to take part in this mission. Sorry Rinoa." Laguna nodded to Rinoa.  
  
Rinoa forced out a tiny smile.  
  
Laguna continued. "In Winhill, we are to stay in hiding until a few of the Galbadians come out to attack. Some of you will have to make sure that the citizens do not get injured or killed. In other words, guard them with your life. We'll decide on who's doing what later...... uh Kiros, could you continue for me?"  
  
Kiros sighed and started where Laguna left off. "The others will have to attack the Galbadians by a surprise attack. That way, we will get the first attack in. I'm sure there will be plenty more Galbadians but we will have to defeat them when they come in smaller groups, like 2 to 4. Once we have cleared that certain area of Galbadian soldiers, the fighters will join up with the defenders to attack the leaders of the army. So obviously, we will all be divided into two groups of 4. Now, we have been informed by spies on the outskirts of Winhill that the Galbadians have built a tower somewhere in Winhill. Most likely, that is the Galbadians' base and is probably where the leaders are hiding as well. That is when we all attack head on. If we manage to defeat or injure them very badly, our mission will most likely be successful. If not, the leaders will overpower us, and all will be lost, meaning Balamb Garden."  
  
Everyone stayed quite calm, thinking about the mission.  
  
Kiros continued, to finish off the speech. "But remember, the most important thing in this mission is to make sure that Rinoa does not attend. I know you have already been informed of that, but I know what kids these days are like, even though I haven't known you all for long."  
  
At this, Kiros turned to look at Rinoa. Her eyes were sad and scared, but she didn't return Kiros' gaze.  
  
"Good job Kiros! See the thing is, you're better at talking than me," said Laguna.  
  
"Funny, you've never had any trouble talking in the past. In fact, it's probable one of your favourite pastimes," said Kiros.  
  
Laguna stomped his foot. "Shut up Kiros! How would you know anything about anything?!"  
  
Everyone knew about Laguna's temper only too well.  
  
Better stop teasing him now. He might explode if he's not careful. But it's so easy to make him mad! thought Kiros.  
  
Ward nodded, as if reading Kiros' mind.  
  
"Whoa.. that's some mission! Let's just hope we pull it off!" said Zell excitedly.  
  
"Yeah, it sounds a little scary, but I'm sure we'll manage!" said Selphie happily.  
  
"Don't sweat over it. If we were able to beat Ultimecia, this'll be a walk in the park!" said Irvine confidently.  
  
"I wouldn't be too sure of that. By the looks of things, the Galbadians have gotten stronger both physically and mentally," said Quistis sensibly.  
  
Rinoa said nothing, as did Squall.  
  
After Laguna had cooled down a bit, he said, "You guys came in the Ragnarok right?"  
  
Squall nodded.  
  
"Good. I'll have someone fly it into Esthar," said Laguna. He pushed a button on his table and in about 10 seconds, an Estharian messenger came running into the room. Laguna delivered the instructions, and the messenger saluted, before running off again.  
  
"Ah.. ya gotta love that salute," said Laguna, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head.  
  
After Laguna stopped dreaming he said, "Anyway, the Galbadians are set to attack tomorrow at approximately 12:00 midday. That means you'll be staying the night here in Esthar. I've reserved some beds for you in three rooms. You can decide which rooms you want."  
  
Ward motioned for everyone to follow him. Kiros got up and said, "I must attend to my duties elsewhere. See you all tomorrow." He walked out briskly with a quick gesture of his hand.  
  
Laguna called after everyone as they walked out, "You guys have got the rest of the day to do whatever you want! Feel free to explore Esthar as you please!"  
  
There came a faint, "thanks!" evidently from Selphie.  
  
When Laguna and Ellone were left alone in the room, Ellone smiled and said, "Even though he doesn't show it, I can see the change in Squall. His eyes are alive and happy, and it's all thanks to Rinoa. They definitely belong together."  
  
"I agree Ell. Actually, I've seen something in his eyes that bring back joyful memories of me and Raine." Laguna sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Gee, I'm not afraid to admit that I miss her a lot."  
  
Ellone made sure that Laguna didn't see her smile softly.  
  
I'll let Uncle Laguna figure it out. But I'm sure either Kiros or Ward will tell him eventually...... thought Ellone.  
  
  
  
Yay! Chapter 6 is done. Hope you liked it, if you did, please review soon! If you do, I'll be happy. This chapter is dedicated to:  
  
Renegade Seraph, the-angel-of-the-lion and Momiji-chan. Thanks for reviewing! 


	7. Staying in Esthar

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
Staying in Esthar  
  
"Yeah! Check out these rooms!" yelled Zell at the top of his voice.  
  
"Wow! I can't believe we're staying in Esthar! I mean I can believe that, but we're actually gonna stay in one of the rooms in the Presidential Palace!" shouted Selphie, jumping up in the air.  
  
"For real, Ward? You're telling me that we get to stay in these first- class rooms?" asked Irvine questioningly.  
  
Ward gave Irvine a look that meant, "how can I tell you anything?"  
  
Irvine scratched the back of his head. "Oh sorry...... I guess I kind of forgot that you lost your voice."  
  
Ward raised his hand and left them all to pick the rooms.  
  
The three that he had shown them were fairly large, obviously guest rooms which were exactly what the gang were.  
  
They were all the same inside, with 2 beds in each one except the last. But traces of Laguna had been left in the last room, for the bed was a double, and on the door was a piece of paper attached saying, "This room left for Squall and Rinoa, hehe"  
  
Rinoa thought it sweet of Laguna to go to so much trouble just for them, and she told Squall that.  
  
He just frowned.  
  
Selphie picked the first room and said, "Yup that's the one we'll stay in, right Quistis?"  
  
Irvine was taken aback. "What? But Seph, I thought I was sleeping in the room with you!"  
  
Selphie shook her head. "If you stayed in the room with me that would leave Quistis with Zell. Now I don't think she wants that, do you?"  
  
Quistis gave Selphie a grateful look.  
  
Irvine still protested. "But - but, you and I were meant to be together Selphie! And I don't want to be in the room with Zell anymore than Quistis does!"  
  
Selphie walked into the room, followed by Quistis. "Sorry Irvey, girls get first preference."  
  
Irvine just shook his head and wandered into the second room. Zell followed with his shoulders hunched.  
  
Presently, everyone's possessions arrived from the Ragnarok in 6 bags. They were delivered into the rooms.  
  
Selphie and Quistis unpacked, while Irvine and Zell did their best to make the room look admirable. Zell was very good at making it neat and tidy, because if anyone has seen his room, it is definitely very orderly.  
  
Meanwhile, Squall and Rinoa were just putting things in order in their room. After they had finished unpacking, Rinoa leapt onto the bed to see how bouncy it was. As it turned out, it was very springy.  
  
Rinoa lay down and sighed pleasantly. Squall walked over to the bed and sat down next to Rinoa. She sat up, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. The two just sat there, in a moment of affection, while kissing.  
  
Rinoa broke the kiss and said tenderly, "Squall, you being here with me makes me feel so safe and secure. When you're not around, I feel lonely and afraid. I want to stay with you forever."  
  
Squall took both Rinoa's hands in his, saying, "Rinoa, I will always stay with you, no matter what. You don't ever have to worry about a thing if I'm there with you."  
  
Rinoa smiled and leaned her head on the soft, furry part of Squall's jacket, cuddling up to him even more.  
  
She whispered, "I love you," very softly.  
  
Squall caressed her soft hair gently, making Rinoa feel very precious.  
  
"I love you too," said Squall, holding her tight.  
  
  
  
Later that day, Zell was practising his martial-arts somewhere in Esthar. Quistis was exploring the city and taking in all the places of interest. Selphie was skipping around, followed by Irvine, who could never seem to keep up with her. And Squall and Rinoa were spending time together, of course.  
  
In a secret area, the happy couple stood together. It was almost dusk and the sun was setting upon Esthar.  
  
Squall and Rinoa were on the outskirts of Esthar, where no one would think to look for them. They were taking in the beautiful scene of the sun setting, standing on a small hill overlooking the city.  
  
Rinoa stared at the scene, whispering, "It's so beautiful."  
  
Squall fondled Rinoa's slender fingers, and said shyly, "Not.. as beautiful.. as you."  
  
"Oh, Squall," said Rinoa softly, staring into the ice blue eyes that she loved so much. "You're so sweet; I don't know where I'd be without you."  
  
Squall looked down. "Sometimes.. when I look at you Rinoa, I feel as if I don't deserve you. Y-you deserve a better person than me."  
  
Rinoa was confused. "Squall, that's not true! If anything, I don't deserve you! You've saved my life so many times, and I can't thank you enough for that!"  
  
Rinoa placed her arms around Squall's waist, and looked up at him, with tears in her eyes.  
  
Squall was rather surprised at her sudden outburst of tears, and he wiped them away with his gloved hand.  
  
Rinoa stopped crying and she took off Squall's gloves. She took one hand and held it up to her cheek.  
  
"Squall.." Rinoa said kindly. "You're hands feel so nice. Why don't you ever take off your gloves?"  
  
"I don't know, I guess because I'm used to having them on all the time," was the answer.  
  
Rinoa smiled and put the gloves back on Squall's hands again. "There. Does that feel better now?"  
  
Squall shrugged. "I guess."  
  
Rinoa giggled with delight at Squall's unsophisticated answer. She put her arms around his neck once more, and he put his arms around her waist. Rinoa leaned forward looking deeply into Squall's eyes, as did he, before sharing a long passionate kiss in the sunset.  
  
  
  
At night-time, the gang sat at a long table eating their dinner. Laguna had ordered a fine meal for them all, and they tucked into it with much enthusiasm. At least, Zell did, eating two pieces of meat at once. Everyone stared at him.  
  
"What?" he inquired, in between a mouthful.  
  
"Don't worry. Just keep eating," said Quistis.  
  
When everyone had finished, Zell patted his stomach like he always did when he'd just eaten an enormous meal, saying, "Man! I won't be able to eat anything for a week at least!"  
  
"I bet you he will," whispered Selphie to Rinoa.  
  
Rinoa giggled.  
  
"Hey, I heard that!" yelled Zell angrily.  
  
Selphie shrugged.  
  
Some Estharian servants came into the room and collected all the empty plates after they had finished.  
  
"Gee, I've gotta hand it to Laguna, because we're being treated like royalty here!" said Irvine excitedly.  
  
They got up off the chairs and headed to their rooms.  
  
"G'night everyone!" said Selphie, while yawning.  
  
"See ya's in the mornin'!" said Zell.  
  
Irvine tipped his hat forward to everyone.  
  
Quistis nodded.  
  
Rinoa smiled cheerfully and said, "Good-night to you too!"  
  
Squall said nothing.  
  
In the last room, Squall and Rinoa were getting ready to go to sleep. When they were, Squall got in on one side and Rinoa the other. They had lots of space to move.  
  
Squall got out again turning off the light, and then he got back in again. The bed was very comfortable.  
  
Rinoa cuddled up to Squall and put her arm across his chest. She kissed his lips softly, then again more passionately. Squall put his arm around her waist, while facing her.  
  
"Goodnight Squall," whispered Rinoa.  
  
"Goodnight Rinoa," said Squall.  
  
He kissed Rinoa's forehead and for the whole night, Squall's lips stayed against Rinoa's forehead lovingly.  
  
  
  
There we are, Ch. 7 done. Hope it was good enough. Sorry I didn't post it in sooner; please review. If you do, there'll be dedications for you in the next chapter. Also I need to know if I'm an ok writer, otherwise I won't bother. This chapter was dedicated to:  
  
Momiji-chan, the-angel-of-the-lion, Angelwhispher and Phoenix Blade. Once again, thanx for reviewing! 


	8. Departure

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
Departure  
  
"Squall! Rinoa!" Selphie's voice could be heard calling from behind the door of the last guest room.  
  
As soon as they heard Selphie's voice, Squall and Rinoa woke at once. They were quite irritated for being woken up from their peaceful slumber.  
  
When they did not answer, Selphie tried again. "Squall and Rinoa! Are you still asleep?"  
  
Rinoa spoke up, "We were."  
  
"Oh, tee-hee sorry guys. I just thought you'd be up by now since it's -"  
  
But she didn't finish, for Squall cut in just then. "- Since it's 7:05 Selphie!"  
  
"...... Right. Well I'll be going now," and the energetic girl couldn't help giving a stifled giggle as she ran off back to her room.  
  
Rinoa rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Sometimes I wonder about Selphie."  
  
"There is such a thing as being too cheerful," mumbled Squall.  
  
Rinoa put on an unhappy face. "I'll never get to sleep now!"  
  
"Neither will I," said Squall quietly.  
  
"Then we may as well enjoy the time we have left in bed," smiled Rinoa.  
  
Squall looked over at her. "Yeah."  
  
Rinoa rubbed her eyes again and hugged Squall, looking up at him irresistibly.  
  
Squall held her close and Rinoa sighed happily, just being content with everything she had at that moment.  
  
  
  
Laguna, Kiros, Ward, Ellone, Squall, Rinoa, Quistis, Zell, Irvine and Selphie all stood in Esthar. They were standing in front of the Ragnarok.  
  
It was 8:45.  
  
The wind blew so fiercely, that everyone had to try and stop themselves from falling backwards. Selphie pulled a face in her concentration to stay on her feet (she was actually getting some help from Irvine, who was holding her arm). Quistis folded her arms and was able to stay firm.  
  
The fierce wind blew even harder, as if it was deliberately trying to force people over.  
  
Rinoa was desperately trying to stay upright, but the wind just wouldn't seem to give it a rest. She gave a little scream as she fell backwards, but her knight just managed to save her by holding out his arms and catching her as she fell back.  
  
Rinoa gasped and then looked at her hero with shining eyes. "Squall, you saved me . . . again!"  
  
Squall just looked down bashfully as all eyes turned on him. Rinoa smiled and bent down to look in his eyes. Then she gave him a quick kiss on the lips, forcing him to look up.  
  
Irvine looked at Squall proudly and said quietly to himself, "He learns from the master."  
  
Laguna winked cheekily and said, "Wow Squall, looks like you're the new ladies' man."  
  
Squall reddened slightly as Irvine shouted crossly, "Hey that's my job! No one here is better than me at turning women on!"  
  
Squall then held Rinoa tightly, so that she wouldn't have the same mishap again.  
  
Laguna folded his arms. "Alright, alright. Now let's just go over what we have to do now. This is a serious matter -"  
  
"- Which isn't exactly what you are," said Kiros.  
  
Laguna shouted angrily, "Hey I could be serious if I wanted to!"  
  
Kiros scoffed. "Hardly."  
  
Laguna slowly turned his head back towards the others. They could all see the redness in his face.  
  
"Anyway, back to what I was saying. It's now 8:52. We should have enough time to get to Winhill, and then stay in hiding," said Laguna.  
  
Selphie stepped forward. "Um, excuse me Mr. Laguna, but we haven't decided the groups yet."  
  
"Oh yeah! I was just coming to that," said Laguna, scratching the back of his head.  
  
". . ." said Ward.  
  
"Ward says, I bet you forgot Laguna," said Kiros.  
  
"I did not!" yelled Laguna. "Anyway, the defending group will be: Ward, Zell, Quistis and Selphie. The fighting group will be: Kiros, Squall, Irvine and me. Got it?"  
  
They all nodded.  
  
"Okay, we'd better get going then!" said Laguna. "Bye Ell, I promise I'll be back soon. See ya Rinoa, take care now."  
  
Laguna, Kiros, Ward, Quistis, Zell, Irvine and Selphie all made their way onto the Ragnarok.  
  
"Be waiting for you on the ship Squall!" called Laguna from the steps leading into the Ragnarok. "We'll let you say goodbye to your girl first!"  
  
Squall turned to Rinoa. She was looking sad and miserable. He hated to see her like this, so he pulled her close to him.  
  
"I-I don't want you to go Squall. And . . . I don't want to be left behind either," said Rinoa quietly.  
  
Squall looked at her brown eyes affectionately. "I'm sorry Rinoa. I have to go. I wish you could come, but it's too dangerous for you."  
  
He kissed her tenderly, and Rinoa returned it, considering it the last one she would have for a while.  
  
Hugging Squall fondly, Rinoa cried silently into his jacket. "Please Squall, whatever you do, be careful and come back to me."  
  
"Don't worry," said Squall softly. "I'll come back . . . for your sake."  
  
They drew apart, but still stayed in each others arms. Reluctantly, they let go completely and Squall slowly walked towards the Ragnarok.  
  
"I'll be waiting . . ." said Rinoa, as Squall stepped onto the ship. He turned around and gave her one last smile, before boarding the Ragnarok.  
  
Squall took a seat by the window and looked out to see Rinoa still standing there.  
  
She wasn't far from the ship, so he made out the words, "I love you" to her motionless figure.  
  
Rinoa saw and understood his silent words. She imitated it and smiled one of her warmest smiles.  
  
Selphie was piloting the ship as usual, and she took off shouting, "Here we go!"  
  
Ellone came up to stand next to Rinoa. She waved to the passengers and they waved back, everyone except Squall.  
  
He just looked longingly at Rinoa, who still had tears in her eyes. The wind blew her hair about gracefully, which Squall thought made her look even lovelier. If it weren't for her forlorn face, she would be picturesque.  
  
But he didn't get to look at her face for much longer, because Selphie flew off, and Rinoa became a tiny speck in Squall's view.  
  
  
  
Rinoa watched as her knight flew away. She still had tears in her eyes, but she wiped them away when Ellone put her hand on Rinoa's shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry Rinoa. He'll make it back. He always does," she said reassuringly.  
  
"I know, but . . . what if something happens?" said Rinoa anxiously.  
  
"I'm sure that everyone will make sure he gets back to you, safe and sound. Remember, this is Squall we're talking about here," said Ellone, laughing softly at her last sentence.  
  
Rinoa smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I shouldn't worry so much. He can take care of himself. It's just that I'll miss him so much . . ." Rinoa trailed off and looked down at her feet.  
  
The two were silent for a while until Rinoa spoke up, "Well, there's no point in me pining for him, because that won't do any good for anyone. I need to have a good rest in my room."  
  
"Good idea. Oh, and if you need anything, or need someone to talk to, I'll be in the Presidential Palace. Have a nice rest," said Ellone, and they both walked back into the Palace, Ellone going one way, and Rinoa going another.  
  
  
  
In Squall and Rinoa's guest room, Rinoa lay on the double bed alone, crying her eyes out silently.  
  
  
  
  
  
Good. Another chapter done, so if you liked it please R+R! I'm not sure whether it was too short or too long, but I did it anyway. I'll be motivated to write more chapters if I get some reviews. Thankyou to the people who read and reviewed my previous chapters, it really helps! This chapter was dedicated to:  
  
Angelwhispher, emerald-queen, Wolfspeaker, Renegade Seraph, cloud strife, the-angel-of-the-lion, Momiji-chan and Wumbahi (:D). Thanks so much for reviewing; it was really nice of you! ( ( (!!! 


	9. Arriving in Winhill

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
Arriving in Winhill  
  
The Ragnarok sped through the skies at a very swift pace, while the passengers on it started to get excited and nervous at the same time.  
  
"I can't believe we're actually on our way to Winhill now! We're going to Winhill! We're going to Winhill! Woo-hoo!" shouted Selphie at the top of her voice, almost losing control of the airship.  
  
"Whoa, take it easy there Sephie. Just concentrate on flying this thing, k?" said Irvine anxiously.  
  
"Yeah we don't want to die before we even begin this mission!" said Zell sarcastically.  
  
"Oh Zell! Don't make me mad otherwise I really might crash!" said Selphie crossly.  
  
Very likely she'll ever get mad. thought Squall, who was seated right at the back of the Ragnarok.  
  
Laguna was looking out the window deep in thought. "Hmm, I wonder what Ell's doing right now?" he asked himself.  
  
"Probably being thankful that she got away from an insane moron who talks to himself," said Kiros sensibly.  
  
"HEY! I'm not insane, I was only thinking out loud!" yelled Laguna.  
  
Ward shook his head.  
  
Quistis was seated in front of Laguna, Kiros and Ward. "Excuse me Laguna, I was just wondering, but how strong are the Galbadians now?" she asked, turning around in her seat.  
  
Laguna's attention turned to Quistis. "Hmm, gee . . . ah well I guess, they're pretty strong now but -"  
  
"- I'll answer that question since Laguna doesn't seem to know," cut in Kiros. "The Galbadians have improved a lot in strength since last time you, we or anyone for that matter fought against them. Even though you all beat Ultimecia, this will still be a hard battle, so I advise you to stay on your guard at all times, even when you think it is safe to relax. They have been under tough training sessions which have improved their skill in battle remarkably. Don't underestimate them, whatever you do."  
  
Quistis nodded and turned around again.  
  
Zell overheard some of what had been said and he punched the air saying, "Yeah, but this'll still be a walk in the park right?"  
  
Quistis shook her head. "Don't get cocky Zell. You know as well as I do that this mission is going to be a hard one. You're just being overconfident."  
  
Zell hunched his shoulders and sighed heavily.  
  
While all of these matters were being discussed, Squall was silent and motionless. Even though he had only just left her, he already missed Rinoa terribly. Hunched over with his head down, Squall returned to his deep thoughts. Why did Rinoa have to be the Sorceress? If she weren't, none of this would've happened, and I'd still be with her. But then again, if she weren't, I wouldn't be as close to her as I am now. She wouldn't have gone into a coma, she wouldn't have gone into space, and she wouldn't have had to be sealed in the Sorceress Memorial. Those were the most affectionate times I've had with her, besides after we beat Ultimecia. Life is so complicated . . . Squall left his thoughts as the Ragnarok landed with a bump.  
  
"Yay! Here we are everyone!" called Selphie, as she got up out of her seat.  
  
Everyone made their way to the exit, and stepped out. Squall was the last to get off the ship, since he had been right at the back.  
  
They all looked around them, to find themselves just outside of Winhill. As far as anyone could see, it was still the same little village they had known it to be.  
  
Laguna looked into the village wistfully. He seemed to be remembering his peaceful life there, a long time ago.  
  
No one was going to venture into the village just yet, because they needed to plan out what to do and where to go.  
  
"It's currently 9:21 everyone," said Kiros. "We need to plan this out carefully. First we'll get into our groups."  
  
Everyone nodded in agreement and then organised themselves into the 2 groups they had decided on earlier on.  
  
Ward stood in one area, along with Zell, Quistis and Selphie. Squall went over to stand by Laguna, Kiros and Irvine.  
  
"Alright Kiros, I'll take over now," said Laguna, speaking for the first time since they had arrived. He sounded different from his usual lively self. Everyone guessed it was because he was anxious to make sure that Winhill was kept safe. "Defenders, your job as you know, is to protect the villagers, making sure they don't get hurt. You won't have far to go, because most of them are in the town square. Our spies have reported that the shop-owners have left their residences, and have taken refuge in the houses in the town square. This is probably because they somehow heard about the Galbadians' attack, and wanted to be safe from any danger."  
  
Here Laguna stopped, either to observe the responses from his listeners, or to ponder over what he was going to say next.  
  
In any case, it seemed to be the right moment to stop, because Selphie piped in just then. "Hey great!! That makes our job easier, right?"  
  
"Ah . . . not exactly, because there'll still be Galbadian soldiers in that area. They won't be as strong as the others though, so you'll be able to take them out easy," said Laguna.  
  
"K, so how do know when to join up with you guys?" asked Zell, gesturing towards the fighter group.  
  
"Hmm, well I think . . . actually I don't really know how we're s'posed to inform you that it's time to join forces," said Laguna, scratching the back of his head embarrassingly.  
  
Kiros smiled. "I figured Laguna wouldn't be that prepared, so I got hold of these communicators." Here Kiros produced two quite small devices. "These are communicators I picked up back at Esthar. They enable us to talk to each other by holding down this red button, and speaking into it."  
  
"Oh, so they're kinda like walky-talkies right?" said Selphie.  
  
"In a way, but they are slightly different," said Kiros. He pointed to a small screen at the top of one of the 'walky-talkies'. "This here is a screen so that when we talk to each other, we'll be able to see the other person's face as well. They reach up to a very long distance, so we should have no trouble communicating with each other. That answers your question Zell."  
  
Zell punched the air excitedly.  
  
"Ok, that probably covers everything, correct?" said Laguna.  
  
They all nodded.  
  
"Alright then. We'd better enter Winhill now," said Laguna. "I think it best that the fighting group goes first. We'll make our way into a certain area, and the defending group can stay in the town square."  
  
With that, Laguna started walking into the village, followed by Kiros, Squall and Irvine.  
  
Ward started to follow shortly after Laguna and his group had made their way into Winhill.  
  
The 'fighting group' kept on until they came to the part of Winhill which was filled with grassy plains and flowers. It was totally deserted, but they all knew that the Galbadians would venture forth in a few hours. Laguna gestured for everyone to follow him, before crouching down behind some tall, long grass which also had bushy plants in front of it.  
  
Everyone crouched down and hid behind the long grass.  
  
"This is a good hiding spot, eh?" said Laguna proudly.  
  
". . . Whatever," said Squall.  
  
Laguna sighed. "Let's see now. It's 9:46 now. Time seems to go by quickly doesn't it?"  
  
No one said anything.  
  
"Only a few hours left. Remember, the Galbadians are set to attack at 12:00," said Laguna.  
  
Still no one said anything. There was complete silence.  
  
"Aww come on, somebody say something!" said Laguna, in a slight tone of frustration.  
  
Still there was silence.  
  
"Aaarrrggghhh!!! I can't bear it! It's too quiet! Actually you're probably so silent because you know that the Galbadians are going to show up any minute," said Laguna.  
  
"Laguna, they're not going to be here until 12:00. It's only 9:48 now," said Kiros.  
  
"Then why are you all so noiseless?" asked Laguna.  
  
"Probably because we don't have anything to say to you Laguna," Kiros commented.  
  
Laguna hunched over slightly. "Gee, this is going to be a long morning . . ."  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, the 'defending group' hadn't gone very far. They were all in the town square.  
  
Quistis seemed to be in charge, since Ward couldn't give orders, and Zell and Selphie weren't exactly the best leaders in the world.  
  
"Okay everyone," said Quistis. "There are quite a few houses around here. I suggest we round up all the villagers who are most likely hiding in all the different residences. We'll tell them who we are and we'll ask them to stay in two of the houses. That way, two of us can protect one house, and the other two can protect the other."  
  
"Wow! Great idea Quistis!" said Selphie.  
  
"Yeah, good thinkin'!" said Zell.  
  
Ward nodded in agreement.  
  
"Alright, let's start with this house here," said Quistis, pointing to the closest home. "I'll do the talking."  
  
They all nodded and walked over to it, and Quistis knocked on the door.  
  
A woman's voice could be heard from inside the house, "If you're those Galbadians, we didn't do nothin' to you, so leave us alone!"  
  
Then a young girl's voice sounded. She sounded as if she was in her early 20's. "Mother, Galbadians wouldn't knock, would they?"  
  
The woman seemed to consider this for a second, and then she said, "Maybe, Emily. But then again, those Galbadians are sneaky individuals. You never know what to expect."  
  
Emily sighed. "I think you should just answer the door mother."  
  
Emily's mother was silent for a moment, before finally making the decision to open the door.  
  
When she did, Quistis, Ward, Selphie and Zell were standing there, looking very un-Galbadianish.  
  
"Hello," said Quistis, smiling. "You're probably wondering who we are. Well to make it truthful, we are not Galbadians."  
  
"Oh thank the heavens for that!" said the woman. "Because you know, we kept hearing about Galbadians coming to attack today."  
  
Quistis looked away. "I'm sorry, but they will be attacking today. We're here to help you."  
  
"Really? Thankyou so much. I'm Maree. This is my daughter Emily, and my husband Jacob is upstairs," said the woman.  
  
Quistis nodded. "My name is Quistis, and this is Ward, Selphie and Zell."  
  
"Hi, nice to meet you," said Selphie cheerfully.  
  
"Yo!" said Zell.  
  
Ward raised his hand.  
  
Maree looked confused because Ward did not say anything.  
  
Quistis saw Maree's puzzled expression, and she quickly added, "Oh I forgot to tell you, Ward can't speak. He permanently lost his voice a long time ago."  
  
"I see," said Maree. "Sorry to hear that."  
  
"Anyway," said Quistis. "We need to get all the villagers of Winhill into two separate houses. Would you be able to help us to get everyone to agree?"  
  
"Certainly," said Maree. "Emily, please get your father and tell him what all this is about."  
  
Emily got up off her chair and ran upstairs.  
  
Soon, Jacob came down the stairs, already informed about who the 'defending group' were.  
  
"Hello," he said. "I understand you're here to help us. Well we'll accept your help, even though we don't know you at all."  
  
Then they all went to each house, explaining to the citizens what was going on. The citizens agreed to do what they were told, because they were frightened of what would happen to their village.  
  
Soon, all the people of Winhill were divided into the two biggest houses.  
  
Quistis and Ward were in one house, and Selphie and Zell were in the other.  
  
Of course, the villagers had lots of questions, and Quistis, Selphie and Zell answered them all.  
  
Jacob, Maree and Emily happened to be in Quistis and Ward's house. Emily was very curious about everything, so she asked Quistis a good question. "Excuse me, Quistis? Are there others here besides you, Ward, Selphie and Zell?"  
  
"Yes there are," said Quistis. "In a different area are Laguna, Ki -"  
  
"- Laguna!? Laguna is here?" said some of the villagers all at once. "Why, we haven't seen Laguna for . . . so long!"  
  
Quistis nodded. "I know that Laguna lived here a long time ago. Well now he is the President of Esthar."  
  
Emily's eyes brightened. "Is there any chance of . . . Ellone being here too?"  
  
Quistis shook her head. "Ellone isn't here. How do you know her?"  
  
"We were friends . . . a long time ago. I used to play with her almost every day. We were only little kids back then though. Then she was taken away. I don't remember much about it . . . I really want to see her again." Emily's eyes saddened.  
  
Quistis smiled. "I'm sure that we'll be able to arrange something after all of this is over."  
  
Emily smiled. "Thankyou. I've always wondered what became of Ellone."  
  
"She lives in Esthar with Laguna. Right now though, our friend Rinoa is staying with her," said Quistis.  
  
Emily nodded, which concluded all the questions.  
  
So Quistis, Ward, Selphie and Zell all stayed in those two houses to guard and protect the villagers from any harm that might come to them; most likely harm from Galbadian soldiers, who would be attacking Winhill very soon. . .  
  
  
  
Long chapter, don't you think? Anyway, please R+R if you liked it. It really helps. The things people say are really encouraging, and that's what helps me to continue. So thanks everyone! This chapter was dedicated to:  
  
townberry, Angelprinczess29, the-angel-of-the-lion, Renegade Seraph, Angelwhispher, Wumbahi, krnman and Momiji-chan. Thankyou so much! 


	10. The Lion's Past

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
The Lion's Past  
  
Rinoa lay on the bed in her guest room. She felt so alone, now that Squall was gone.  
  
"Squall," she sighed. "I wish you were here with me. I need you, and I know that you need me too. How am I ever going to bear these horrible days without you?"  
  
Still teary-eyed, Rinoa sat up and walked out of the room. She made her way to the Presidential Palace, where she would find Ellone. She felt that talking with this kind-hearted girl would ease her pain. Wiping away her tears, Rinoa soon found her way to the Palace.  
  
Ellone was just walking out of Laguna's office when Rinoa bumped into her.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry Ellone. I was just coming to see you," said Rinoa, brushing the strands of black hair out of her eyes.  
  
"That's ok Rinoa. Shall we sit down?" said Ellone, walking back over to the chairs that were still arranged by Laguna's desk.  
  
"Yes thankyou," said Rinoa. They both sat down on two chairs. "Well firstly, I wanted to ask you something. Who is charge of Esthar, now that Laguna's gone?"  
  
"We have many Estharian soldiers that have been trained to take his place in these sorts of situations," said Ellone. "One of them will take charge and give orders if need be." Here, she grinned. "Laguna personally trained them. He told them what to do and how to act; though I'm not sure Laguna acts right."  
  
Rinoa giggled.  
  
Ellone smiled again. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"  
  
"Actually yes," said Rinoa, looking down. "I . . . well, I was just wondering, could you . . . um to make it direct, tell me about Squall please?"  
  
"But Rinoa, you already know all about Squall," said Ellone.  
  
"No I don't, I mean, I want to know what he was like when he was . . . you know," said Rinoa.  
  
Ellone smiled. "Oh I see, you want to know what he was like when he was a little boy, correct?"  
  
Rinoa nodded.  
  
"Well in that case, I can tell you lots. What do you want to know? Anything in particular?" asked Ellone.  
  
"His personality," said Rinoa.  
  
"Oh, Squall was a very funny little boy. He was always holding onto me, and the others got a bit jealous because they thought I was paying more attention to Squall than to them, which was partly true," said Ellone laughing.  
  
Rinoa smiled. "I don't know which Squall I would've liked best: the young, happy little one or the older, stronger, colder, thoughtful one who always protects me and who loves me the way I love him."  
  
"Oh you would've loved little Squall as much as you love big Squall," said Ellone. "He was very energetic, full of happiness when he was around me, and he was very loveable when he was happy. But then he became the cold, uncaring lone-wolf after I left. He just didn't seem to understand why I had to go. He thought it was because I didn't like him any more - oh no, of course I liked him!"  
  
Rinoa listened intently. She was very absorbed in the subject of the man she loved.  
  
"Anyway, if you had known him, I'm sure you would've become great friends. He might've even taken a fancy to you then!" said Ellone smiling.  
  
Rinoa blushed. "Tell me about what he liked, maybe his favourite food or something."  
  
"Ah, Squall's all time favourite snack was cookies. The home-made cookies that Matron (Edea) made were delicious," said Ellone. "I wonder how he coped without them after he left for Garden? Anyway, the children only got to eat the cookies if they were good. We used to call them 'Wonder Cookies.'"  
  
"Wow, they must've been really yummy!" said Rinoa.  
  
Ellone nodded. "They were. Even Mr. Kramer, or Headmaster Cid as you know him, loved them."  
  
Rinoa smiled.  
  
"Was there anything else you wanted to know?" asked Ellone.  
  
Rinoa shook her head. "No I can't think of anything else, unless you can."  
  
Ellone thought to herself for a moment and then she said, "Come to think of it, there was one thing that stood out in my mind about Squall."  
  
Rinoa looked at her enquiringly. "What was it?"  
  
"Well, one day Squall went out to the shop with Cid and all the other boys except Seifer, because he had been disobedient and so wasn't allowed to go with everyone else," said Ellone. "Squall was telling me about someone he met there, after he came back. He was so excited; I'd never seen him that happy before."  
  
Rinoa was totally immersed in this subject.  
  
"Anyway," Ellone continued. "Squall was walking down one of the aisles in the shop, while all the others were probably looking at toys or something. And there he saw a girl. Squall said she was about the same age as him; 6 years old and, as Squall put it, 'looked like an angel'. She had long black hair, brown eyes and a pretty face. Squall just stared at her until she saw him looking, and walked over to him. She said hello but Squall was too shy to say anything, so he just kept staring at her. Well, the girl told Squall that she was on a holiday with her dad, and didn't live around that area. I bet Squall was slightly disappointed, because he told me that he just said, 'oh'. The girl seemed to think Squall was funny, because he didn't say much. At that moment, the girl's father started calling her. Squall didn't hear what her name was though. The girl said she had to go now, and Squall spoke up unexpectedly. He said, 'will I see you again?' The girl smiled a lovely little smile, said 'maybe' and ran off."  
  
Rinoa said nothing, taking in this information quietly. "Did he?" she asked.  
  
"Did he what?" asked Ellone, slightly puzzled.  
  
"Did he ever see that girl again?" asked Rinoa.  
  
Ellone smiled. "Yes, he did."  
  
Rinoa sat there silently, and then took the hint. "Wait a minute! Are you suggesting that that girl was . . . me?"  
  
Ellone nodded.  
  
"Wow, I don't remember anything about that. I only know that I had always lived in Deling City. Nothing about a holiday comes to mind though. Are you sure it was me?" asked Rinoa.  
  
"Positive," said Ellone. "The description fits you perfectly."  
  
"Then how come I don't remember?" asked Rinoa.  
  
"Probably the work of the GF's," said Ellone.  
  
Rinoa sat silent for a short moment then asked, "Squall really told you all that?"  
  
Ellone nodded. "He described you perfectly. I think that as soon as he saw you, he liked you."  
  
"I'm sure I would've liked him too," said Rinoa. "Thankyou for telling me all of that Ellone."  
  
"It was my pleasure. I like to remember back on my earlier days as a child," said Ellone. "Is there anything you want to do now?"  
  
"Actually," said Rinoa. "I was hoping I'd be able to visit Timber today. I'd take the train and be back in the afternoon."  
  
"Well, I thought you were going to wait until Squall comes back," said Ellone.  
  
"Oh, Squall won't be back until late in the afternoon. Besides, this will help pass the time," said Rinoa enthusiastically. "I'll leave a note on the bed, saying where I've gone, just in case Squall gets back a little earlier."  
  
Ellone considered this and said, "I presume it wouldn't matter if you just went on a little outing to Timber. I just hope you get back before Squall does. Even if you did leave a note for him, he'd still get worried. You know what he's like."  
  
Rinoa smiled. "Yeah, I do know what he's like. Anyway, I'll try and be back before 3:00. Squall won't be back by then, will he?"  
  
"No I shouldn't think so," said Ellone.  
  
"Ok, thanks so much Ellone," said Rinoa, getting out of her chair and preparing to walk out of the room. "Oh, and if Squall does get here early, could you please tell him not to fret, and that he shouldn't worry about me?"  
  
"Alright, you'd better get going then Rinoa," said Ellone.  
  
Rinoa ran out of the room and called out, "Bye!"  
  
When she had left, Ellone sighed to herself. I really hope Rinoa does come back soon. Who knows what Squall would do if anything were to happen to her, she thought.  
  
  
  
As Rinoa ran back to her room, she quickly scribbled a note and left it on the double bed.  
  
Gathering up all her possessions, Rinoa ran through Esthar and headed for the nearest train station. She thought happily to herself, Now I can meet Zone and Watts again and . . . I can see Angelo! But . . . I still won't see Squall . . .  
  
On thinking this, Rinoa's tears started again, not only because she missed Squall, but also because she knew that his life was in danger.  
  
  
  
Sorry everyone, I left my story at Ch. 9 for a little while. R+R if you liked Ch. 10, and then I will soon start Ch. 11! Thanks to everyone who reviewed my previous chapters! This chapter was dedicated to:  
  
Angelwhispher, Wumbahi, Wolfspeaker, the-angel-of-the-lion, Renegade Seraph and Momiji-chan. Thanx so much for reviewing, it really encouraged me! ((:P 


	11. First Battles and A New Friend

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
First Battles and a New Friend  
  
Laguna, Kiros, Squall and Irvine waited in the long grass for a very long time. To them, it seemed like 6 hours, but they had really waited for 2.  
  
Kiros and Squall were very calm, but Laguna was getting frustrated with the silence. Irvine was just whistling to himself as he handled his gun.  
  
"Well it's now 11:49 everyone," said Kiros finally. "The Galbadians should be attacking soon."  
  
Laguna sighed heavily. "Phew, it seems like we've been waiting for 6 hours!" he said.  
  
"Wait 'til those Galbadians show their faces; I'll show' em no mercy." As he said this, Irvine pretended to shoot something with his gun.  
  
Squall said nothing. He got out his gunblade and set it down on the grass in front of him.  
  
Ten minutes passed and everyone became tense.  
  
"Get ready, everyone. I think I hear someone coming," whispered Kiros.  
  
They were all as silent as possible and, sure enough, three Galbadian soldiers could be seen running towards them, yet unaware that they would soon be attacked.  
  
When the Galbadians were unconsciously right in front of the four companions, they jumped up out of their hiding place in the tall grass, and Laguna yelled, "Now!"  
  
Thus, the first battle began. Laguna, Kiros, Squall and Irvine proceeded to get their weapons ready, while the Galbadians were rather astonished at the four warriors' sudden appearance.  
  
Squall attacked first, running up to the first Galbadian and striking with his Lionheart. He pulled the trigger and his opponent staggered a little at the powerful attack. Though it was definitely not enough to finish the Galbadian, for they had all had influential training and were remarkably strong.  
  
A different Galbadian fired his gun at Irvine, doing a medium amount of damage. Soon Laguna shot another and Irvine did likewise. Kiros slashed one with great skill and that soldier tried to stay upright at the slice of those powerful knives.  
  
Seeing that this was not going to be enough, Squall summoned Diablos and Irvine summoned Ifrit. Both GFs were now a very high level, and so did an extraordinary amount of damage.  
  
Two Galbadian soldiers were finished off at these last two GF attacks. The last soldier was finished by Laguna.  
  
"Phew!" said Laguna, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "That was a piece of cake, I guess."  
  
Piece of cake? thought Squall. It was our GFs that did the most damage. . .  
  
"So Kiros," said Irvine. "Where's this tower that the Galbadians are supposed to have built?"  
  
Kiros folded his arms. "I'd say that it is not too far away. If we head in a northerly direction, we should come to it."  
  
"Yeah but first we have to inform Ward, Quistis, Zell and Selphie to join us," said Laguna. "On top of that, there'll be Galbadians to take care of. . ."  
  
Irvine tipped his hat forward a little. "Just hope that Sephie and the others are ok. D'you think the Galbadians in that area will attack that area soon Laguna?"  
  
"Yeah," said Laguna. "They'll be fine though. The ones in the town square aren't that well-trained so there won't be any problems."  
  
Kiros looked at Squall, (who hadn't spoken in ages). "Thinking again Squall?" he said.  
  
Squall looked up from the ground.  
  
Irvine smiled cheekily. "Hehe, he's thinkin' about a certain pretty raven- haired girl who's currently situated in Esthar. Hey, I don't blame the guy; if I were him, she'd be all I thought about . . ."  
  
Squall shot Irvine a look. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing!" Irvine raised his hands in the air to show that it meant nothing. "I was just joking!"  
  
"Alright, we'd better get going now," said Kiros.  
  
So the four all set off to the north where the Galbadian base was supposedly located.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, the defending group were still in the two houses.  
  
In the first house, Quistis took out her communicator which Kiros had given her. She studied it, taking a close look at all the functions. A noise outside caused her to look up.  
  
Two Galbadians could be seen running into the town square.  
  
Oh no, she thought. "Quick, Ward! There are Galbadians coming towards us!"  
  
Ward saw and nodded.  
  
"Everyone, please stay here," said Quistis to the frightened villagers. "We are trained fighters and will take care of these Galbadians easily. But the main thing is that you don't leave this house."  
  
The citizens nodded, and Quistis and Ward ran out of the house. Luckily, Zell and Selphie had seen the soldiers coming too, spoken the same message to the villagers in their house, and had run out to join Quistis and Ward.  
  
When the Galbadians saw the defending party running out, they just thought that they were villagers trying to protect their people in vain.  
  
Of course they were wrong.  
  
Quistis cracked her whip, Ward showed the Galbadians his metal harpoon, Zell punched the air enthusiastically and Selphie waved her nunchucks in the air.  
  
The Galbadians just sniggered, but deep down felt a little uneasy seeing that these 'villagers' were armed.  
  
Soon the defenders attacked and the soldiers got a piece of their power. It only took one attack from everyone to defeat the two Galbadians.  
  
The gang could hear the villagers applauding and cheering from inside.  
  
"Aahh, they were watching us?" said Zell, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Cool!" said Selphie.  
  
"We'll stay in the doorway in case any more come," said Quistis wisely.  
  
So they all walked back to the houses and stood right in the doorway, where they could immediately rush out to protect the Winhill villagers from Galbadian attacks.  
  
  
  
Rinoa stood at the train station, and checked to make sure it was the one that led to Timber.  
  
"Are you boarding this train, miss?" asked the station attendant.  
  
"Um, yes I think so," said Rinoa. "Is this the train that goes to Timber?"  
  
"Yes it is. If you're departing, please pay 3, 000 Gil."  
  
Rinoa produced from her possessions the money, before boarding the train. She sat down on one of the seats and thought to herself. A voice made her look up in surprise.  
  
"Is everything alright young girl?" the voice was coming from an old man sitting opposite Rinoa. She hadn't even noticed him when she'd boarded.  
  
Rinoa looked at him curiously, wondering what he was talking about.  
  
"Why, you look as though the world is going to end," said the old man.  
  
Rinoa remembered that she'd been crying again. She wiped them away quickly and smiled. "Yes everything's just fine,"  
  
The old man raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Young girls these days don't cry for no reason."  
  
"Oh, I don't want to trouble you about my affairs," said Rinoa.  
  
The man laughed. "No really, you can tell me. I'm just an old man!"  
  
Rinoa smiled again. "Well alright. I guess I need to get it off my chest."  
  
The old man nodded. "Oh yes, before you do, my name is Fred. I'm visiting Timber to see my daughter. She lives there and thinks I'm coming tomorrow. I wanted to surprise her."  
  
Rinoa smiled one of her warm smiles. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you. By the way, I'm Rinoa. I'm going to Timber to see two of my close friends. Also, I'm going to see my best friend. His name is Angelo."  
  
Fred smiled and nodded. "Now then, tell me why you were crying."  
  
Rinoa tried to look happy. "Well, I'm really worried about Squall."  
  
"Squall?" questioned Fred.  
  
"Yes," said Rinoa. "He's the same age as me, 17, and to me it feels like I've known him for years, even though it has only been about half a year."  
  
"Go on," said Fred.  
  
Rinoa shifted in her seat. "He was an uncaring, cold, lone-wolf before I somehow found the key to his heart. Now, he opens up to me."  
  
Fred smiled. "You must have a very kind heart for him to open up to you. What happened to separate you both?"  
  
"Well," said Rinoa. "He's an experienced SeeD member, and had to go on a mission today. It's a very dangerous one, and I know that he's in danger. I just hope he'll come back to me safe and sound. . ."  
  
"I'm sure he will if he's an experienced SeeD member," said Fred.  
  
"Oh he's really, really strong," said Rinoa proudly. "He always protects me and has saved my life so many times."  
  
"I'm sure he has," said Fred. "Wait a minute; is the Squall you're talking about Squall Leonhart?"  
  
"Yes," said Rinoa.  
  
"So that means you're Rinoa Heartilly."  
  
". . . Yes, I am."  
  
"I won't embarrass you too much, but did you defeat the Sorceress?" said Fred.  
  
"We sure did," said Rinoa, smiling.  
  
"Congratulations," said Fred. "I think everyone heard about it."  
  
"They did? Wow, we're famous!" said Rinoa excitedly.  
  
Fred nodded. "It seems we've trailed off our original subject a bit. I'm sorry, is there anything else you want to add?"  
  
Rinoa smiled. "I don't think so, only that I love Squall so much, and he loves me too."  
  
"He told you that?" asked Fred.  
  
Rinoa nodded feeling very content. "He's so sweet now."  
  
"Well for your sake, I hope he makes it back to you," said Fred kindly.  
  
"Thankyou," said Rinoa. "And thankyou for listening."  
  
"It was my pleasure. Now, it looks like we're in Timber," said Fred.  
  
Sure enough, the voice on the train sounded to inform them that they had arrived.  
  
Rinoa and Fred got up and walked out of the train after the doors had opened for them. Fred was going in a different direction to Rinoa.  
  
"Perhaps I'll see you again Rinoa," said Fred, waving to her as he walked.  
  
"I hope so," called Rinoa after him.  
  
When her new friend was out of sight, Rinoa looked at her surroundings. It felt good to be back in her most cherished little town.  
  
  
  
( Another chapter posted. PLEASE R+R it helps so much. I hope you like this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Thanx! This chapter was dedicated to:  
  
krnman, Twinblades (Angelwhispher), Wolfspeaker, the-angel-of-the-lion and Momiji-chan. Thanks so much, for reviewing. Especially the people who've reviewed every single chapter I write! ((( 


	12. Reunions and Intruders

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
Reunions and Intruders  
  
After their first battle with the two Galbadians, Ward, Quistis, Zell and Selphie fought many more. They were very easy to beat for the trained warriors and, the Galbadian soldiers started to reduce in numbers. Soon no more came at all and the gang were able to return to headquarters.  
  
When they stepped back into the houses, the first thing the villagers did was to cheer and congratulate the protectors again.  
  
"Man, really it was nothing. . ." said Zell in the second house, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Woo hoo! We sure did beat 'em!" said Selphie happily.  
  
"I don't think there will be any more Galbadians coming to attack now," said Quistis in the first house.  
  
One of the men in Quistis' house said, "You are obviously very well-trained fighters. We can't offer you much in return for your kindness, but we are willing for you to take anything of ours as a reward."  
  
"Please," said Quistis smiling. "It is our mission to protect you. We won't accept anything you offer us, and certainly wouldn't dream of taking any of your belongings."  
  
"Thank you again," said another citizen.  
  
Ward nodded.  
  
  
  
Laguna, Kiros, Squall and Irvine kept heading north towards the Galbadian tower, which was the base.  
  
Some more Galbadians challenged the four warriors but they were able to beat them by using GF's and casting Aura for limit-breaks. They fought three more battles, and then none at all.  
  
"Ah, what's happening?" asked Laguna.  
  
"There don't seem to be any more Galbadians . . ." said Kiros.  
  
"Hmm," said Irvine.  
  
". . . Something's wrong," said Squall, speaking up surprisingly.  
  
"Sorry?" said Laguna.  
  
"I said, something's wrong," said Squall again.  
  
"Yeah I know, but what do you mean? How do you know?" said Laguna, obviously quite puzzled.  
  
"I don't know . . ." said Squall. "Forget it."  
  
"Ok . . ." said Laguna.  
  
They kept going and eventually, Kiros said, "Well I think there will be no more Galbadians coming at all. It's probably safe to contact Ward, Quistis, Zell and Selphie now."  
  
"Yeah good thinkin'. I wanna know how Selph's doing," said Irvine, a little enthusiastically.  
  
Kiros produced the communicator again. He pushed a few buttons and soon Quistis' voice could be heard, and her picture could be seen.  
  
"Quistis," said Kiros. "How is everything at your end?"  
  
"Fine," said Quistis. "Is it time to head towards the Galbadian tower yet?"  
  
"Yes. You should tell the citizens to stay right where they are. We need you all to come soon," said Kiros.  
  
"Roger," said Quistis. "I'll tell the others. See you soon."  
  
Quistis' picture disappeared and Kiros put the communicator back in his pocket. He turned to the others. "Did you all hear that?"  
  
"Yeah," said Laguna.  
  
"Uh huh," said Irvine, tipping his hat forward.  
  
Squall nodded.  
  
"We'd better get to the tower now," said Laguna. "We'll wait at the bottom of it for the others. I've heard that it's pretty tall too."  
  
So they all set off again and presently, a huge tower rose above them in the distance. They broke into a run, and soon stood looking up at the gigantic tower.  
  
"Whoa that's big. . ." said Irvine.  
  
  
  
Rinoa smiled when she saw the Forest Owls' base. She walked up to it and the door opened. Stepping inside, she was greeted by a wet lick on her leg.  
  
"Angelo!" cried Rinoa. She knelt down and hugged her friend happily. This made two men come running in to see what the noise was.  
  
"Zone! Watts!" Rinoa grinned when she saw her two friends.  
  
"Hi princess. What brings you to Timber?" asked Zone.  
  
"Before I tell you, how are you both?" asked Rinoa.  
  
"I'm good," said Watts.  
  
"Same," said Zone.  
  
"Ok," said Rinoa. "I came to take my mind off my troubles."  
  
"What troubles?" asked Zone.  
  
"Squall. . ." said Rinoa.  
  
"Oh yeah, that reminds me! Where is Squall?" asked Watts.  
  
"That's the problem," said Rinoa sadly. "Squall had to go on a mission in Winhill to fight Galbadians, and I wasn't allowed to go with him. It's only for a day, but I'm really, really worried. He could get hurt badly. . ." At this, Rinoa hid her face in her hands.  
  
Angelo whined.  
  
"It'll be alright Rinoa. Squall can take care of himself," said Watts reassuringly.  
  
"I-I know but, the Galbadians are better soldiers now and Squall's life is in danger!" cried Rinoa.  
  
"Hmm well, maybe the others can cheer you up," said Zone. As soon as he said this, he started howling and clutched at his stomach.  
  
"M-my stomach!" yelled Zone.  
  
When Rinoa saw this, she burst out laughing.  
  
"Phew, that's done the trick. . ." said Watts under his breath.  
  
"Thanks Zone. That makes me feel better," said Rinoa smiling.  
  
"S-sure," with that Zone staggered off somewhere, still holding his stomach.  
  
Rinoa turned to Watts. "So what have you been up to lately?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing much. You know, same old thing," said Watts.  
  
"Right. Well I think I'll go and see everyone," said Rinoa. "Come on Angelo!"  
  
Angelo barked happily and trotted after Rinoa as she walked down the corridor. Rinoa was greeted heartily by all her friends in the Forest Owls. After telling them why she was there, she made her way to her room right at the end.  
  
Jumping onto her bed, Rinoa remembered all the good times she had had in Timber. One particularly good time was when she was introduced to Squall. Smiling to herself, Rinoa had a little nap with Angelo guarding her at the end of the bed. She was totally oblivious to the fact that something was going on in Esthar . . .  
  
  
  
Ellone sat outside of Esthar, resting. She had a good think to herself about everything and then something made her go back inside to the Presidential Palace. She did not know that two figures had secretly entered Esthar and had already gone into the Presidential Palace.  
  
The mysterious figures made their way to Squall and Rinoa's guestroom, obviously looking for something.  
  
One saw the note that Rinoa had left on the double bed. They picked it up and read it. It said:  
  
Dear Squall,  
  
Just in case you get back from Winhill early, please don't stress when you find me gone. I am in Timber and I'm fine so you shouldn't worry. I'll be back very soon so I'll see you again pretty soon.  
  
Love Rinoa  
  
(P.S. I love you)  
  
The mysterious figure stuffed the note into his pocket and said something to his companion that sounded like, "let's go".  
  
At that point, Ellone walked past and stopped short when she saw the two figures in the guestroom. She remained calm and ran off to get Estharian soldiers.  
  
The figures started to leave the room but were stopped when Estharian soldiers came shouting and running in to execute the intruders. There were about 7 Estharians and they surrounded the two trespassers easily.  
  
But one of the intruders somehow got away by kicking an Estharian in the stomach. He ran as fast as he could out of Esthar and his comrade called after him, "You know where to go!" The Estharians couldn't catch him, so they decided to stay focused on the intruder they had under control.  
  
They bound the trespasser's hands together and then led him away from the Presidential Palace.  
  
Shortly afterwards, Ellone returned and asked the soldiers what they had done to the intruder.  
  
"We've forced him to tell us what he was doing in the Palace, but all he said was "you can torture me all you want, I won't tell!'" said the head Estharian soldier. "He is now being questioned severely again. I fear that we won't get anything out of him though."  
  
Ellone felt very anxious. "Why would any of them want to come to Esthar? I feel as though they've got something planned. Please make sure that Esthar is safely secured."  
  
"Right." The Estharian soldiers then marched off and resumed their positions on guard, after making sure that the security was working.  
  
Ellone had a troubled look on her face as she went to sit in the Presidential Palace.  
  
Something awful is going to happen, she thought uneasily. I just know it. And I bet that Squall and Rinoa will be stuck right in the middle of it. . .  
  
  
  
Ok Ch. 12 done. Hehe, can you guess who those two mysterious intruders were? Ah, you'll find out eventually. Sorry for the wait. I might not be able to post each chapter as quick as I used to because I'm busy with school. Please tell me what you thought of that chapter. (I hope this story is getting interesting) Anyway PLZ R+R! Thanx( This chapter was dedicated to:  
  
Momiji-chan, Wolfspeaker, krnman, Angelwhispher, townberry, cloud strife, the-angel-of-the-lion and Renegade Seraph. Thankyou very, very much for reviewing, esp the ppl who review EVERY single chapter of mine! THANKS:D 


	13. Galbadians

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
Galbadians  
  
"When are they gonna get here?" Irvine paced up and down impatiently.  
  
Laguna looked up at the Galbadians' tower for the seventh time. "Hmm. . ." he said. "It's my guess that they know we're coming."  
  
"Huh?" said Irvine. "D'you think they're watching us now?"  
  
Laguna shook his head. "There are no windows in that base of theirs. The Galbadians most probably know we're somewhere nearby, but they don't know the exact moment we'll attack."  
  
"And that's our strong point, right Kiros?" asked Irvine.  
  
Kiros nodded. "Surprise attack is the key."  
  
Just then, Laguna pointed and said, "Hey I think I see them."  
  
Sure enough, four figures could be seen running towards them. They came closer and closer until finally, Quistis, Ward, Zell and Selphie were standing before Laguna, Kiros, Squall and Irvine. Selphie ran up to Irvine and smiled in a delighted manner.  
  
"Well done defenders," said Laguna. "You've managed to successfully complete your first half of the mission."  
  
Zell grinned half-happily and half-evilly. "Yeah! Now the fun starts! Let's kick some Galbadian butt!"  
  
Irvine tossed his gun up into the air and caught it skillfully. "Those petty soldiers won't know what hit them after we're through with them!"  
  
Quistis, Ward and Selphie got out their weapons. "I'm so excited!" said Selphie.  
  
"You ready everyone?" asked Laguna.  
  
They all nodded. Squall of course, stood there silently.  
  
"What about you Squall?"  
  
". . . Yeah," said Squall. "I'm ready."  
  
Laguna nodded. "Good," he said. "Now the real battle begins."  
  
The eight warriors walked towards the entrance to the massive tower. It was a metal door that was obviously locked from the inside.  
  
Laguna smiled and said, "That shouldn't be a problem. My machine gun can handle anything." At this he started shooting at the strong door madly. First, the bolts dropped to the ground and then the whole door slowly gave way, creating an entrance for the eight companions. With Laguna leading the way and Ward bringing up the rear, they made their way in single-file down a fairly long corridor/tunnel. It was leading downwards for some reason, and was fairly steep.  
  
"It's dark," said Zell.  
  
"And gloomy," added Selphie.  
  
"Do you think they know we're here, now that Laguna blasted that door down?" asked Quistis.  
  
"I would be surprised if they hadn't heard that gun fire," said Kiros. "Although, it's my guess that they don't suspect what the noise was. If possible, I'd like to keep it that way."  
  
They kept walking on, until Zell inquired, "Yo, how many Galbadians do you think there'll be up there?"  
  
"I suppose no more than 3," said Laguna from the front of the line. "But 3 are more than enough. These ones in this tower are the strongest of all. I definitely noticed the change in strength when we fought the others before. So you can guess how strong these will be."  
  
Eventually, they came to the end of the long corridor. Before them was an elevator. It was enormous, and everyone estimated it to hold about 15 people.  
  
"That's more than enough room for us all," commented Irvine.  
  
"Well?" said Selphie. "This obviously takes us up to the top, so let's hop on!"  
  
They quietly walked onto the huge elevator so as not to make too much noise, just in case their enemy heard something. As soon as everyone had stepped on, it quickly started to move upwards.  
  
"Woo hoo!" said Selphie. "This is sooo fun!"  
  
Zell grinned. "Don't get too excited, or you'll fall."  
  
Selphie rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "Like I'm really going to!"  
  
  
  
Rinoa woke from her peaceful slumber in her room. She found Angelo wide awake at the foot of her bed.  
  
"I must've been asleep for an hour or something," she said to herself. She got up from her bed and walked out of the room, Angelo silently following.  
  
She soon found herself in the main part of the Forest Owls' base. Before even thinking twice, she stepped out into the sunshine and into Timber as well. It was now 2:09.  
  
Rinoa decided to go for a short walk, and then she'd say good-bye to Zone and Watts, before returning to Esthar. Looking up into the sky, she saw a helicopter go to land somewhere in Timber. Puzzled, she decided to go see why it was there.  
  
A few seconds after the helicopter had landed, a loud gun shot sounded. Rinoa heard screams and shouts which made her feel nervous. She ran towards the noise, only to discover 6 Galbadians, armed, ready to attack some innocent villagers.  
  
She saw that lots of other people were looking out of their windows anxiously. Angelo started barking madly, as if he thought Rinoa was in danger. Just then, Zone and Watts came running towards her. They stood on either side of her as if in defence as the Galbadians noticed Rinoa for the first time. They seemed to be satisfied with something, judging by the nods they were giving each other.  
  
"Are you the sorceress?" one asked Rinoa.  
  
Feeling slightly puzzled, Rinoa nodded.  
  
A second Galbadian addressed her. "Then I'm afraid you're going to have to come with us." At this, Angelo started to growl softly, as if he could understand what was being said.  
  
". . . What?" Rinoa felt even more confused.  
  
"It is by order of the Galbadian Army that you follow us to our next destination," said the Galbadian briefly. Rinoa guessed that this was the leader of the small army.  
  
She hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head determinedly. "No," she said. "Not until you tell me what's going on."  
  
"We will inform you of our duties later," said the Galbadian. "But right now, you are to come with us."  
  
Rinoa shook her head again.  
  
"Then if that is the case," said the Galbadian soldier. "We will be forced to annihilate the whole of the Timber population."  
  
Rinoa gasped. They wouldn't . . . would they? she thought. Some of the villagers nearby looked shocked.  
  
"That's right," said the soldier. "So now you have a very important decision to make. Come with us, and all your friends and your city will remain unhurt. But if you refuse, then we will carry out the procedure."  
  
Rinoa felt as if everything was in her hands now. She couldn't risk her friends' lives. She also didn't want to be held responsible for the destruction of Timber.  
  
Stepping forward bravely, Rinoa tried to hide the fact that she was trembling. ". . . Alright, I'll go with you."  
  
A general outcry arose from her friends as she said these words. The Galbadians nodded, quite satisfied with Rinoa's decision.  
  
"No!" said Watts. "Rinoa you can't!"  
  
"Who knows what they'll do to you!" added Zone.  
  
Rinoa turned to face her two friends. "I have to," she said. "If I don't, everyone in Timber will die . . . and all because of me. I can't let that happen."  
  
On the verge of tears, she slowly started walking towards the Galbadians. No one tried to stop her, even though they wanted to. Only one thought flooded Rinoa's mind . . . would she ever see Squall again?  
  
The soldiers walked with her, towards the large helicopter, not even bothering to tie up her hands. They knew that Rinoa wouldn't try anything - her mind was made up.  
  
Angelo tried to follow her, but a Galbadian kicked him away. Rinoa turned to see Angelo get up from his sprawled position on the ground. "Please," she begged. "Don't hurt my dog. It's bad enough making me do this."  
  
"Fine," said the Galbadian.  
  
Angelo whined miserably, as Watts held his collar. Rinoa just kept walking, trying her hardest to stay composed. She and the Galbadians got into the helicopter and Rinoa sat down in the back compartment of it, while the soldiers took their places in the front. The aircraft's propeller started to spin and it slowly lifted off the ground. Soon it was no more than a speck in the eyes of the alarmed people down below.  
  
Angelo was still whining softly, pining for his mistress.  
  
"Squall's gonna kill us. . ." mumbled Zone.  
  
". . . Yeah," said Watts. "I know."  
  
  
  
The elevator on which Laguna, Kiros, Squall, Irvine, Ward, Quistis, Zell and Selphie stood finally reached the top of the tower. The eight individuals looked around them. They were surrounded by metal walls, obviously built quite recently. But what caught their attention the most, were the two Galbadian soldiers who were standing a fair way from them. . .  
  
  
  
Yay so Ch. 13 is done now. So sorry to all the people who expected this installment to be sooner. I had been too busy and I was kind of taking a break from this story for a while. (I might be doing that often): P anyway, for the people who like reading long chapters, I'm sorry if this chapter was too short, ad likewise for the short-chapter readers. Btw do you think that this fic is getting uninteresting? If so, please tell me. Plz R+R and I'll continue (hopefully) :$ This chapter was dedicated to:  
  
Renegade Seraph  
  
Momiji-chan  
  
townberry  
  
cloud strife  
  
Angelwhispher  
  
Wolfspeaker  
  
Wumbahi - The "thing" was in this chapter. Can you guess what it was? :D 


	14. Secret Weapon?

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
Secret Weapon?  
  
"What?! It's you two!" exclaimed Zell, staring at the Galbadians.  
  
". . .!" said Biggs and Wedge.  
  
". . . We should've guessed it'd be you guys," said Selphie knowingly.  
  
"And likewise to you," said Biggs. "But enough chat, it's time to settle some unfinished business."  
  
I couldn't have said it better myself, thought Squall to himself.  
  
The team stood ready for the first attack from these familiar Galbadians. Although there was a large difference in the number of fighters, the eight peace-keepers for Winhill felt that this battle would still be tough. Biggs and Wedge were both holding large machine guns which looked very powerful.  
  
"That's it! Let me at 'em!" Without even thinking twice, Zell hurtled up to their opponents and tried to land a powerful punch on Biggs. If it weren't for Biggs' quick reflexes, he probably would've succeeded.  
  
"Not going to get us like that," sneered Biggs, as he blocked the move skilfully. Zell backed away, clearly shocked that his most powerful weapon could not even touch the Galbadian.  
  
"Zell," whispered Quistis. "We won't be able to beat them like that. You have to either take them by surprise or summon a GF."  
  
" . . . Err, right," said Zell, feeling slightly embarrassed.  
  
"Think carefully before you attack head-on everyone," said Kiros quietly, so that only the eight could hear. "We need tactics."  
  
Wedge stepped forward and fired his machine gun at Laguna (who was also armed with a machine gun). The attack did a high amount of damage, but Laguna had a lot of stamina, so it wasn't too hard a blow.  
  
Then Squall, Quistis, Zell and Selphie started to summon a GF each, (they had decided to junction them before they entered Winhill.) Laguna and Irvine were the team's two gun-men and they were going to use "pulse ammo", so they didn't need a GF. Kiros and Ward had chosen not to use a GF, deciding to use their 'old' weapons, back when they used to be in the G- Army.  
  
First, the old anchor was thrown onto Wedge, to cause a great deal of damage. Then Kiros, stealthily and unsuspectingly, attacked both Galbadians with his two knives.  
  
Before the others had time to finish summoning though, Biggs cast Firaga on Irvine, which made him stumble backwards. His HP went down a lot, so Laguna, being the only one eligible to do it, cast Curaga on him.  
  
Squall finished summoning, as did Quistis and Selphie. Soon, the great figure of the demon Ifrit rose up above them all, and produced a mass of fire, to be dropped down onto the two Galbadians. The tower shook dangerously, and everyone felt that it would collapse. Fortunately it didn't, and Biggs and Wedge were greeted with about 3, 450 damage to them both.  
  
"Ah no!" cried Wedge. "These guys are strong!"  
  
"Don't worry . . . remember what we've got planned Wedge," replied Biggs quietly, after recovering from the GF attack.  
  
"Oh yeah! The secret weapon!" blurted out Wedge, unconscious of the fact that he had just let out a very important secret.  
  
"Be quiet you idiot!" yelled Biggs. "Just shut your trap okay? Otherwise they'll find out . . ."  
  
"S-sorry Major Biggs," stuttered Wedge. "I'll try harder next time . . ."  
  
Secret weapon? thought Squall. Well, whatever it is, I'm ready . . .  
  
Next, Diablos emerged and used the powers of darkness to gather up a ball of shadow. It plunged down onto the amazed, yet confident Galbadians with much force, doing an enormous amount of damage.  
  
Quezacotl then appeared and sent off electric waves of light, damaging the enemies immensely. The sudden wave of wind and electricity shook the tower once again, this time more violently. The on-lookers were undoubtedly in suspense, wondering whether this time the tower would fall and collapse.  
  
But, once again, for some reason it did not meet this fate.  
  
"You should be grateful that we made this tower strong and sturdy," said Wedge.  
  
No one said anything. The other GF finished being summoned and did its share of damage to Biggs and Wedge, luckily not shaking the tower at all. Only wobbling it a little. In between all of these attacks, Biggs and Wedge were taking opportunities to attack as well.  
  
But they looked tired now. Even though Curaga was being cast repetitively, the attacks and damage kept coming. They didn't attack Quistis and Selphie as much as the others, knowing that they weren't as active, energetic, (obviously they did not know Selphie . . .) and not as strong.  
  
Laguna and Irvine were having the time of their lives blasting Biggs and Wedge thoroughly with their pulse ammo. The 6 other on-lookers found it very entertaining to watch these troublesome Galbadians try to dodge and dart from the powerful bullets.  
  
". . . It's not . . . over . . . 'til it's over . . ." stuttered Wedge helplessly, (while hunched over on the ground), after a frightful bombardment of bullets from the two gunmen.  
  
"Get up Wedge!" ordered Biggs. "This is no time to be slacking off."  
  
After recovering by means of Curaga, Wedge was soon on his feet again, though looking much bruised and battered.  
  
"They're getting tired," whispered Zell. "I can tell."  
  
"Aren't they gonna drop soon???" questioned Selphie. "You'd think they would by now!"  
  
No . . . thought Squall. They have a secret weapon . . . remember?  
  
As if reading Squall's thoughts, Biggs nodded to Wedge, gesturing with his eyes towards the ceiling. Wedge seemed to understand what he meant, judging by his series of nods.  
  
". . . Get ready," said Squall quietly.  
  
"What?" said Laguna, turning to him. "D'ya say something?"  
  
Squall nodded. "They have a secret weapon. Something big I think. So just be ready everyone . . ."  
  
"Okaay!" said Selphie. "Let's prepare for the worst then, shall we?"  
  
Squall's sharp stormy eyes watched as Biggs took out a little whistle-like object. It was silver, with the Galbadia logo on the top of it. As soon as Biggs blew into it, an eerie sound filled the whole room. Everyone had to cover their ears to block out the sound because it was so loud.  
  
"Aaaarrrgggghhh!!!" yelled Laguna. "Make it stop!!"  
  
What is this?! thought Squall.  
  
"Well," said Biggs, after the sound had subsided. "This is where we say good-bye. We'll let you deal with our 'secret weapon' all by yourselves."  
  
"Yeah," added Wedge. "I'm sure you can handle it. Cya!" The two Galbadians started sniggering as they turned towards the one window in the tower. It wasn't really a window, just a big square opening.  
  
Everyone watched in shock as they started to climb out.  
  
"Hey!" yelled Irvine.  
  
"Wait! You can't just leave!!" shouted Zell, running up to them, but finding Biggs and Wedge already a quarter of the way down the tower. They were sliding down two ropes that had already been tied to a knob.  
  
For once, Zell's mind began to operate quicker than usual. He saw the knob and speedily started to untie the ropes that were tied onto it. Before too long, he was done and everyone heard the delightful sound of Biggs' and Wedge's annoyed cries. They fell right down to the bottom of the tower and just lay there, motionless.  
  
". . . D'you think they're dead?" whispered Selphie, as she in turn looked out of the 'window'.  
  
"No I don't think so," said Kiros quietly. "They're the sorts of people that have 9 lives, and just keep coming back for more. I'd say they're out cold, and will be for quite a while . . . but I think you should congratulate young Zell here."  
  
"Yeah!!! Way 'ta go Zell!!!" shouted Selphie.  
  
Quistis smiled and nodded. "If this had been a SeeD exam, you would've scored lots of marks Zell."  
  
"Aww thanks you guys, but it was really nothing and . . ." said Zell, but was cut off by a shush from Squall.  
  
"What? What is it?" inquired Irvine.  
  
"We can celebrate later . . . something's coming," said Squall.  
  
". . . Th-the secret . . . weapon?" asked Selphie.  
  
Squall nodded.  
  
Sure enough, a mysterious sound could be heard from miles away. It was a very strange sound, unlike any other they had heard before.  
  
"This is scaaary!!" squeaked Selphie, clinging to Irvine for protection.  
  
Then, in about 10 seconds, it came . . .  
  
  
  
Inside the helicopter, Rinoa had decided to stay put and not cause any trouble for the Galbadians, knowing that if she did, she would surely get injured.  
  
But the curiosity was overwhelming, so she chose to ask some questions instead. "You said you'd tell me what's going on!" said Rinoa.  
  
"Fine, have it your way," said a Galbadian meanly. "We're holding you hostage. Happy now?"  
  
"Huh?" Rinoa felt confused. "But, the Galbadians in Winhill . . . they were the ones who are supposed to be doing that. Why are you?"  
  
"Hey boss," said one Galbadian. "Should we tell her everything or shut her up?"  
  
The Galbadian in charge shook his head. "Tell her some, but not everything."  
  
The other Galbadian nodded. "Ok girlie, let's see . . . we figured we'd need a 'plan B', so that's why we're here. The other Galbadians are off in Winhill, and so we came here to get you."  
  
"But how did you find me? How did you know I was in Timber?" demanded Rinoa, cross that she had been tricked.  
  
A different Galbadian took out a small sheet of paper from his pocket. He turned and waved it in front of Rinoa's face. "Does this ring a bell?" he asked slyly.  
  
Rinoa gasped. It was the note she had left on her bed in Esthar for Squall. "How did you get that!?"  
  
"Oh let's just we found it in a certain city," said the Galbadian. "You shouldn't leave things lying around now should you?"  
  
Rinoa frowned at him. "That note wasn't for you!"  
  
The Galbadian shrugged. "But we found it, and there's nothing you can do about it."  
  
"Wait a minute," said Rinoa. "What did you do to Esthar? And Ellone! Tell me!"  
  
" . . . Ellone?" said the leader of the small group of Galbadians. "We didn't do anything to anyone. In fact, those damn Estharian soldiers executed one of our men!"  
  
Rinoa felt relief flood through her. At least no one had gotten hurt. "So . . . where are you taking me?" she asked.  
  
"To Galbadia Garden," answered the leader. "We'll stay near the front gate to sort out all our plans. That's also the place where we meet him."  
  
" . . . Him? Who's that?" asked Rinoa.  
  
"Oh you'll see," said the head Galbadian.  
  
After that, Rinoa asked no more questions, only thought to herself. Why are they doing this? I wish everything was back to normal. I wish I wasn't the sorceress . . .  
  
She fingered the two rings on her necklace, which reminded her of the two people she loved most. My mother . . . and Squall. I miss them both . . . she thought. Thinking these thoughts, Rinoa lowered her head and waited for them to reach their destination.  
  
It only took about 2 minutes for them to reach Galbadia Garden, because Timber had always been close to it. The helicopter landed swiftly and smoothly on the ground right next to the Garden.  
  
Rinoa followed the Galbadians out of the helicopter into G-garden and studied her surroundings. Nothing had changed really. Everything looked just the same as it had when she first came here with Squall and the others. Those were troublesome times, yet happy memories in a way. They all waited there and Rinoa wondered who this mystery man was. Her thoughts were interrupted when the head Galbadian started speaking.  
  
"He's in the Garden and should be coming out soon."  
  
Another Galbadian spoke up. "How will he know we're here?"  
  
"He probably heard the helicopter land," said the other.  
  
They all waited for about a minute until a figure could be seen coming out of the Garden. Rinoa tried hard to see who he was but was too far away. He seemed to turn to them and then walked slowly in their direction.  
  
Before long, Rinoa could clearly see who this person was. She gasped when she recognized him, a look of disappointment showing on her face. Short blonde hair, black clothing underneath a grey trench coat, and always a look of confidence on the face of . . .  
  
"Seifer . . ." Rinoa forced the name out reluctantly.  
  
The ex-SeeD candidate smirked. Now, he was within 5 metres of the group. "Rinoa. So we meet again I see," said Seifer.  
  
The leader of the group of 6 Galbadians stepped forward. "Looks like you two have already met then. Well, that means I won't have to introduce ya."  
  
A curious Galbadian asked, "So how do you two know each other? Were you friends? Were you more than friends? Were you cousins? Anything at all?"  
  
Rinoa looked away, trying not to think about what she and Seifer had been.  
  
"Shut up!" yelled the head Galbadian. "Don't ask questions."  
  
Unexpectedly, Rinoa spoke up. "Why are you doing this Seifer? I don't understand! I thought . . . after Ultimecia you'd change for sure."  
  
Seifer waved his hand in the air. "Hey, I'm in it for the money! Don't worry about me."  
  
Rinoa frowned. "But . . . what about Fujin and Raijin? Did you just desert them?!"  
  
"Nah," said Seifer. "They're in Balamb. Fishin' 'til I come back. How boring."  
  
The chief Galbadian folded his arms and tapped his foot on the ground. "Are you done yet?! We have business to discuss!"  
  
Seifer turned to him, took out his Hyperion and pointed it at him.  
  
The Galbadian raised his hands in defence. "Err . . . sorry take your time."  
  
"Guess we should start now anyway," said Seifer. "Well? What are you waiting for?"  
  
Immediately, the Galbadians grabbed Rinoa's arms and tied her hands together, making her sit down while doing so.  
  
"Hey!" shouted Rinoa angrily. "Let me go!"  
  
"Sorry," said a Galbadian. "Can't do that. You're not allowed to hear our plans. If we let you go now, the boss'll have our heads."  
  
Rinoa decided she wouldn't be able to escape just by talking. She would have to act. Maybe even fight. She watched as the 6 Galbadians and Seifer walked a fair distance away from her to discuss their plans in private.  
  
She fidgeted and tried to get out of the ropes, but it was no use. They had tied it too tightly. Pretty good rope-tying . . . thought Rinoa. Well, pretty good for Galbadians I guess . . .  
  
Just then Rinoa felt something hard under her blue dress-coat. She wondered what it was, then knew instantly. Her weapon. The Shooting Star. Now why hadn't she thought of it when it would've really come in handy?  
  
  
  
Hope you enjoyed chap. 14 and sorry for the long wait everyone. I never got round to writing but now I have. My excuse is that I got a PS2 and was playing FF8 a lot! (yay) Not to mention Kingdom Hearts. (The only thing I don't like about it is that everyone in FF8 DIED!) ( (They chose Squall's voice really really well!) Anyway, now that school's started again, I won't be updating that often (sorry). Thanks for all the kind reviews urging me to continue. Thanks esp. to:  
  
Renegade Seraph  
  
Momiji-chan (sorry for not updating as soon as you would've liked :$)  
  
The Angel of the Lion  
  
Wumbahi  
  
Galdrix 


	15. The End

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
A/N: You're probably thinking that this is the final chapter for this fic, judging by the title of the chapter. Well don't worry, it's not. I'm FAR from finished with this fic. Those who have thoroughly played FFVIII (I don't mean story-wise) will understand why I named Chapter 15, "The End". Those who don't understand it, well . . . keep playing 'til you do!  
  
The End  
  
" . . . The hell is it?" Zell half-whispered.  
  
Squall shook his head in disbelief.  
  
It all happened so fast, that no one even knew how it had come.  
  
A demon creature. A huge, demon, winged creature that had no reason to exist had suddenly appeared, most likely flown in from somewhere far off. Some place that hardly anyone knew about. But here it was, in all its gruesome glory.  
  
Of course the roof of the tower smashed as the massive creature flew down to the party of astounded comrades. Most of the broken pieces of the roof landed on the ground below the tower. As the creature landed in front of the party, one part of the wall of the tall tower gave way. It too, broke into many pieces.  
  
The best writer in the world would not, perhaps, be able to portray how this winged creature looked. But the best way to describe it would be to say that it was something close to a devilish incarnation. Its clawed feet were about ¾ of the size of Laguna's whole body. Its body was as big as all the eight fighters put together, bigger still, and the scaly skin of its body glowed a horrible blood red. Its head was something totally abnormal. The mouth was neither proper like a human's, nor a beak-like one. It was just a black hole with tiny, sharp fangs embedded in it. The eyes were like that of a snake, except more horrific. They were just slits, but when the demon chose to open them wide, a sickly yellow colour glowed from them. On top of its head were two dark red, pointed horns that curved and then fixed in a forwardly direction. The whole being was like the re-incarnation of some sort of devil. The only way to describe it in a single sentence was through one word.  
  
Monstrosity.  
  
Then it gave a blood-curdling screech/roar that almost shook the tower.  
  
" . . . Alright everyone. Looks as though this'll be tougher than any battle you've ever fought before," commented Laguna quietly.  
  
Irvine was the first to attack, casting Aura on himself and then using 'pulse ammo' to blast the monster. But this most powerful group of bullets did not effect the winged creature in the least bit.  
  
"Wha . . . what is this thing anyway?" asked Selphie questioningly.  
  
Irvine shrugged.  
  
Just then a non-human, slow voice boomed across the room. It belonged to the winged, demon creature. "FOOLS," said the creature. "PETTY, INSOLENT FOOLS. FOOLS WHO DO NOT KNOW IMMENSE POWER WHEN THEY WITNESS IT!"  
  
"It . . . it talks!" squeaked Selphie.  
  
Zell stepped forward, his fist clenched. "Hey! Stop callin' us fools already!"  
  
"Zell!" hissed Quistis. "Don't!"  
  
Ward shook his head.  
  
The demon turned to Zell. Little Zell in its eyes. Then it gave the most piercing laugh. An evil laugh that was immensely hard to listen to.  
  
"What's so funny?!" demanded Zell. "And who . . . or what are you anyway?"  
  
The creature stopped its terrible laughter to speak once again. "I AM NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. I AM THE DEVIL'S RE-INCARNATION. I AM CALLED HYPERION!"  
  
Hyperion? thought Squall. Seifer's weapon . . .? Seifer's gunblade is named after this . . . demon?  
  
Then Kiros spoke up to the 7 others. "Don't use a GF in this battle everyone," he warned. "Hyperion will kill it easily. It's best to use your equipped weapon in this situation."  
  
Everyone in turn attacked Hyperion with their weapon, but the maximum amount of damage they did was 100. Nothing worked against it.  
  
"Its defense is too high!" wailed Selphie.  
  
"Try using magic," suggested Quistis.  
  
This option was attempted with hopes of damaging Hyperion more than a weapon. Laguna cast 'scan' on it, but was greeted with ill news.  
  
"Its HP is . . . infinite!!!???" yelled Laguna in disbelief.  
  
"It can't be . . ." said Squall, frowning.  
  
Quistis cast 'protect' on everyone, which helped shield Hyperion's attacks. Selphie cast 'float' on everyone so that it wouldn't try anything like sending something through the ground. Curaga was used often, which was all very well and good, except for the fact that no one knew how to defeat Hyperion. Everyone used everything they had or could think of, but no progress was made.  
  
Then Hyperion seemed to examine all the pieces of the broken wall carefully, before picking one particularly large part up with its half- mouth, half-beak. It tossed it up into the air and slammed its wing against it, sending it across the room, and into a very unlucky victim's right arm. . .  
  
The gun dropped to the ground, as did the sharpshooter. The part of the wall which had hit his arm was not only big, but sharp also. A stifled groan was all that was needed to inform everyone that Irvine was in great pain.  
  
"Irvine!" With no care for her own safety, an anxious Selphie ran as fast as her legs would carry her over to the sprawled figure of Irvine.  
  
"Selphie be careful!" Quistis warned.  
  
But Selphie either didn't hear or would not hear, for the girl was soon crouched down beside the gunman's body, beside herself with anxious worry. Irvine was close to unconsciousness, because the metal shard had hit his arm so hard.  
  
Selphie carefully examined the arm, trying very hard not to break down. But one look at how much blood Irvine had lost sent her into a mass of tears.  
  
" . . . Irvey," whimpered Selphie. "No . . . stay with me, OK?"  
  
No one had ever seen Selphie like this before. She hardly ever cried, but now that Irvine would not be regaining complete consciousness soon, they didn't blame her at all for the endless tears that streamed down her cheeks.  
  
Then Selphie started casting Curaga on Irvine repeatedly, but it had no effect on him whatsoever. She soon became desperate.  
  
Irvine opened an eye weakly. "Selph . . ." he managed to say.  
  
Selphie shook her head. "No, don't try to talk. It'll be ok . . . won't it?"  
  
"I . . . don't know," Irvine said hoarsely. "Hurts . . ." he glanced at his injured arm.  
  
Selphie's tears were now pouring down faster than ever, onto Irvine's body.  
  
Irvine gave Selphie a little smile, which shocked her because he looked so helpless. "It was . . . really fun Sephie. Thanks for . . . being such a good friend and all . . ." he took her hand with his left one. Selphie's face was a mixture of grief and shock. "Selphie . . ." Irvine stuttered. "I . . . I -" but his words did not continue after that; his left arm dropped down like the right one, and his head soon did as well.  
  
"No . . ." Selphie whispered. She collapsed onto Irvine's seemingly lifeless body and sobbed gently on his jacket. Then a change came over her. She was no longer the Selphie everyone knew and loved. "No," she said again. "No, no, no! NO! I WON"T BELIEVE IT!"  
  
She got up from the ground and stood looking at the demon that had done this to Irvine, face-to-face. Anger flared in her eyes. Hyperion sensed the change in her. Everyone sensed her pain as well. They were almost afraid of what would happen next.  
  
Selphie did not say anything. But she started to glow a strange yellow colour.  
  
Zell stepped back. "What's . . . happening to her?" Concern for his friend showed in his face. Another expression of grief was also showing, for he and Irvine had really been buddies.  
  
"Her limit-break," said Kiros. "If she's not careful, something fatal could happen."  
  
"Selphie stop!" yelled Squall surprisingly. "You could kill us all!"  
  
Selphie didn't seem to hear Squall's voice at all. There was a voice in her head telling her to take the next step - to do it. And that's exactly what she did just then.  
  
Quistis was about to run to her friend and try to stop her, but Laguna grabbed her arm just in time.  
  
The yellow colour was now even more overwhelming as Selphie raised her nunchaku weapon in the air. (A/N: I think I may have spelt nunchaku wrong in one of my earlier chapters. Sorry about that.) Then she started performing her limit-break sequence with her weapon that she always did whenever she was hurt badly.  
  
But as the series of weapon movements came to an end, everyone in that single room seemed to vanish for that minute. Selphie's limit-break was starting. Everyone was gone, except for one person. Squall.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Suddenly, he wasn't in the Galbadian tower anymore. He was in a familiar place. The promised place. The sacred flower field, where he had promised to meet her when all else failed. But she wasn't there. He couldn't see her. He started to get desperate. He needed to see her. To hear her voice. To hold her in his arms. He started running across the field, senselessly, but he couldn't find her anywhere. And then, just as he was about to give up searching, she appeared. Standing right in front of him, his angel was there. He ran towards her, as did she. They finally reached each other and he grabbed her. It all seemed so real, because they just stood there, in each other's arms for what seemed like eternity. She looked up into his eyes and smiled. He held her as tightly as he could, not wanting to let go. Not ever.  
  
~ ~ ~  
"So what's yer plan?" asked a curious Galbadian, addressing Seifer.  
  
Seifer smirked cheekily. "I have many plans; it just depends on which one you want to hear."  
  
The leader of that particular Galbadian faction folded his arms angrily. "Don't mess around with us Seifer. You know very well what Soldier B was talkin' about."  
  
"Is that a threat, might I ask?" grinned Seifer. "If that's the case, you can answer to my Hyperion. Don't forget who the gunblade wielder is in this sorry group of -"  
  
"Hmph. Just get on with it then," said the leader crossly. "I'm the lieutenant in this group anyway, which makes ME the boss. So if anything should happen to me, it'll be the downfall of you Seifer."  
  
"Err . . ." started another Galbadian. "It clearly states in the 'Galbadian Army Soldier Guidebook', page 29, paragraph 2, that we the soldiers of the Galbadian Military are not to misjudge ours or any other soldier's rank in the Army."  
  
The lieutenant looked at this book-worm Galbadian incredulously. "What? What are you saying?!"  
  
The lower-ranked Galbadian stepped back. "I . . . um, well you're not a Lieutenant yet sir, only a Junior Lieu -"  
  
"SHUT UP!" yelled the 'Junior Lieutenant'. "What would you know about anything Soldier D?!"  
  
Soldier D stepped back again.  
  
"Hehehe," said Seifer, a smirk on his face. "Looks like the 'boss' has been caught out. Oh well, we'd better get on with the procedure, right Junior?"  
  
The 'Junior' Lieutenant turned to face Seifer. Everyone there could tell that he was enraged. "You will address me with either 'Sir', or 'Lieutenant'! No more, no less. Got it?"  
  
Soldier C spoke. "But sir, what about the 'G. A. S Guidebook'?"  
  
"Screw the Guidebook! You're all under my orders now, so you don't have your precious 'guidebook' to protect you! And that goes for you too Seifer," muttered the Lieutenant.  
  
Seifer shrugged. "Hey, I don't follow rules from some book, and clearly, I don't want to. You suckers all have the privilege of obeying boring orders. Haha."  
  
Rinoa looked over at the group of quarrelling men. It looked as though they would be occupied for quite some time, so she squirmed around in an attempt to get hold of her Shooting Star. She fidgeted madly and soon, a soft metal *clang* informed her that she was successful. Before attempting to start the procedure, she glanced over at Seifer and the group of Galbadians again. They were still deep in discussion, so Rinoa took this chance to turn herself around while on the ground, so that she was facing them.  
  
She'd need to plan this out carefully; one mistake, and that was the end of her freedom. Rinoa took hold of her Shooting Star, (which was directly behind her) with one hand. As she did so, the sharp particle on the end of the weapon just scraped against her hand. She gave a little yelp, but luckily, the Galbadians hadn't noticed. She looked at where it had cut her. Dark red blood was slowly trickling out of the palm of her hand. But one little cut wasn't going to stop her from escaping - not in a lifetime.  
  
Rinoa proceeded with taking hold of her weapon, this time being more careful. She successfully got hold of it and concentrated on the next task at hand: cutting the ropes.  
  
It wasn't long before the tight ropes had been slit right in half, and Rinoa breathed heavily when her job was done. Once again, she took a quick glimpse of what was happening with Seifer and the Galbadians. She still couldn't believe he had actually teamed up with them - how much lower could one person sink? But that wasn't her main concern right now.  
  
Very slowly, Rinoa stood up and edged away from the group of intent speakers. Her plan was working so far, but what would she do from here? She kept walking backwards, keeping a sharp eye on the back of Seifer's head. As she did, she did not notice the stone right behind her. . .  
  
*Slip* *thump*! Rinoa's head spun with dismay as the Galbadians and Seifer turned and saw her - saw her trying to escape.  
  
"HEY!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!!" screamed the Lieutenant.  
  
Rinoa thought with much disappointment, "oh no. . ."  
  
The whole group of Galbadians started running towards Rinoa, angry expressions on their faces. Seifer walked behind them, as casual as can be, shaking his head at Rinoa's hopeless act.  
  
Rinoa didn't try to run now; she knew it was all too much in vain. She should have known from the start that this would probably happen. So, she waited silently as the 6 Galbadian soldiers reached her, finally grabbing her arms.  
  
"So," said the Lieutenant. "You thought you'd try and escape did you?"  
  
Rinoa refused to look at him.  
  
"Well it's not going to happen again, sorceress."  
  
Another confident Galbadian addressed Rinoa. "So why don't you just get possessed again sorceress? Why don't you just turn all evil and kill us all? It's what you've been doing for the past -"  
  
But he did not get to finish, for Rinoa speedily landed a swift punch, right in that sorry Galbadian's face. He immediately was knocked over, clearly not expecting this sudden act - especially not from a girl like Rinoa.  
  
"Just try to talk to me like that again!" shouted Rinoa crossly. That particular act was complimentary from practicing with Squall and Zell in the training centre. Squall had helped her to hold her balance and stand in the right position, and Zell had told her how to "get 'em, and get 'em good!" in his case.  
  
The other Galbadians were evidently as shocked as the victim.  
  
Seifer had a smirk on his face, and made Rinoa feel a little uncomfortable by applauding her softly. "Rinoa, I never actually thought that you had that in you. Where'd you learn to do that?"  
  
"Squall," said Rinoa, without any hint of amusement in her voice. "And Zell."  
  
"What?" said Seifer as if he couldn't believe it. "Old puberty-boy and our friend chicken-wuss?"  
  
"Don't call them that!" said Rinoa. "You're just being . . . a MEANY!"  
  
Before Seifer could reply, the Lieutenant cleared his throat impatiently and said, "Are you two done yet, or can we get on with the plan?"  
  
"Sure thing," said Seifer calmly. "Let's go."  
  
Soldier B and Soldier C were told to take Rinoa hands and walk behind her, so she wouldn't try anything again. They grasped her arms tightly and she was made to walk with the others.  
  
"Where are we going now?" Rinoa asked sternly. "I deserve to know that, at least."  
  
"Let's just say we're not going anywhere in particular," said the Lieutenant. "Just to the helicopter."  
  
"That doesn't make sense!" shouted Rinoa. "Tell me where we're really going!"  
  
"You will be quiet or suffer the consequences!" shot back the leader.  
  
Rinoa made the decision to do that, in case they really did do something drastic. She was hating this, every moment of it. She just wished she was back at Balamb Garden now, maybe sitting down in the quad with Squall or something.  
  
But one more question still lingered on Rinoa's mind. She decided to just ask this one, at least. "Please just answer me this," she said looking at them determinedly. "All I want to know is why you're doing this. You don't have to, do you? Whose orders are you under?"  
  
"That isn't of your concern," said the Lieutenant. He seemed to be doing the most talking at the moment. "You can't know, and we will not tell you. All of us here are sworn to secrecy. If any one of us tells you, I'm afraid the consequences will be fatal."  
  
"It used to be me," the voice was of Seifer. Rinoa was startled to hear him speak so suddenly. "You already know the whole story behind that. But I didn't care to lead such petty soldiers any more."  
  
"Who're you callin' petty?" yelled the Junior Lieutenant. Rinoa listened intently to this new story she hadn't been told before.  
  
Seifer ignored him and continued. "So the army isn't under my order anymore - there's another. But that's really beside the point in my case. The only reason why I'm doing this job is because I'm in it for the money. Yeah, I already told you that, but they're paying me big bucks to do it, even bigger than 'junior's' salary."  
  
At this point, everyone could tell how irritated Seifer was making the 'lieutenant'.  
  
"You were never like that Seifer," said Rinoa quietly, as they walked. "You never cared much for the money at all. All you ever wanted was . . . well to have your dignity. That's why I liked you."  
  
The others could see that Seifer's expression had not changed, but Rinoa knew that inside, he was silently being torn apart; it was not Rinoa that was doing this to him, it was the fact that she was reminding him what he had become.  
  
Rinoa continued. "But now that . . . you're working for them, for money, I see you differently. I never actually hated you Seifer, but now I'm starting to. . ."  
  
For the rest of the way that they walked to the helicopter, everyone was completely silent. Especially Seifer. Rinoa felt a tinge of guilt at the way she had behaved towards him, but knew that he probably deserved it. After all the trouble he had caused her and everyone else at Garden, (the orphanage gang) she had never actually stood up to him fully; never actually told him exactly what she thought of him. But now that she finally did, she felt ashamed and sorry for what she had just said.  
  
As they all neared the helicopter, the Lieutenant walked over to a small red button on the side of the 'copter. He pressed it and, before Rinoa's very own eyes, the helicopter increased in size. An extra compartment at the back of the source of transportation was amazingly added. It could probably only fit about 2 people, but it was still pretty remarkable.  
  
Soldier E turned to Seifer. "Err . . . sir, Mr. Almasy," he started.  
  
"What is it now?" asked Seifer.  
  
". . . The Lieutenant has asked me to tell you to sit in the back compartment with the sorceress, so you can keep an eye on her," concluded the hesitant soldier.  
  
"What for?" demanded Seifer.  
  
". . . I think, because . . . he doesn't think the rest of us are up for it," said Soldier E.  
  
"Have it your way then," said Seifer. "Just don't let me catch you guys up front up to no good."  
  
The Galbadian nodded and took his place near the front of the helicopter. Rinoa was also informed of her seating arrangements and soon everyone was in the helicopter.  
  
Rinoa stared out of the window and tried to picture what was going to happen next. The other Galbadians up front wouldn't be able to see or hear anything in the back compartment even if they tried.  
  
Rinoa decided to speak. "Seifer, about what I said before . . . um, I don't hate you, really. But . . . after all the things you did in the past, I mean the things you actually chose to do yourself, well, I haven't forgiven you for them. The things you put Squall and the others through were horrible. It might take me a long, long time before I do forgive you."  
  
Seifer leant back in his seat and crossed one leg over the other in a relaxed way to show it didn't bother him. For that, Rinoa was glad. "It doesn't matter really," he said, smirking. "I don't care one way or the other. But I'll tell you one thing - I'm not doing this for the money."  
  
Rinoa looked puzzled. "Then what are you doing it for?" What puzzled her most was the answer Seifer gave her.  
  
"Garden."  
Hooray!! I finally updated! Don't blame me for taking so long to do it, but I wouldn't know where to begin to tell you how busy I've been with school and stuff. But I have gotten round to it now, so hopefully I will be able to keep this story together (for a while at least). Most people will have noticed that I changed my pen-name (AGAIN!). It's now: Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart. All it is, is if Rinoa got married to Squall, that's what her full name would be. I checked to make sure there aren't any users by that name, and if there are, I will be mad. I'm worried that it's a bit too long, but I don't know. Sorry about this, hope it's not getting too confusing for you. This SHOULD be the last time I change my name (hopefully), unless something else happens.  
  
Now, I'll just give the people who don't fully understand the concept of why this chapter is called "The End", a little hint. Okay, maybe a BIG hint. If you want to know all about it, fling Selphie on your party and keep using her limit-break, until the bar where it shows all the magic reads, "The End". Now I will say no more, but you most likely know all about this, so I'm probably just wasting your time.  
  
Well once again, big thank you to the people who reviewed my previous chapter(s). It really helps, although you may not think it does. Thanx to:  
  
The Angel of the Lion: Thanks for always reviewing, and always putting in a kind word. It really helps (  
  
Galdrix: In answer to your question, no Rinoa does not have a GF equipped because the party in Winhill have equipped them all. If she did, where do you think the Galbadians and Seifer would be now? :P  
  
Wumbahi: No  
  
Renegade Seraph: Thanks again, your reviews are always very encouraging.  
  
Momiji-chan: I hope you thought the "RPG feel" was okay. I'll try to make it seem more realistic if you don't like my other way of writing.  
  
Please R+R once more, it would be much appreciated to know that people still like this fic. 


	16. Liberation

I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who created it all!!!  
  
Liberation  
  
"Squall," someone was calling his name. "Squall!"  
  
Squall opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground of the Galbadian tower once more. Everything was quiet.  
  
"What . . . happened?" he asked, putting his hand to his forehead, and standing up.  
  
Laguna was standing in front of him, a grin on his face. "It's over," he said happily. "Hyperion is dead."  
  
Quistis came over to stand next to Laguna. "But the thing is, we don't know how or why it happened. We just woke up and found this . . ." she pointed to a large lump of coal-black ash.  
  
Squall noticed Kiros, Ward and Zell were also with him. "What about . . . Irvine?" he was almost reluctant to know the answer to whether or not his comrade was alright.  
  
"Tch," said Zell. "Take a look over there."  
  
Squall turned to look where Zell was gesturing. In the back corner of the tower, Selphie could be seen hugging Irvine tighter than ever. And Irvine was holding her too. He was alive.  
  
Squall was both relieved and puzzled.  
  
Kiros, seeing the confused look on Squall's face, answered the question that was on Squall's mind. "When Hyperion hit Irvine with the metal shard, he also used some of his wild magic, which bonded Irvine's power to Hyperion. Therefore, when Hyperion was destroyed, Irvine recovered fully. If Hyperion hadn't used his magic on Irvine, he would still be . . ." there Kiros stopped.  
  
"But why would Hyperion need to use his magic at all?" asked Squall.  
  
"Because," said Laguna. "If he hadn't, that huge piece of the wall wouldn't have done as much damage to Irvine. By using magic, the castor has a huge advantage over his enemy."  
  
Squall looked at Kiros again. "How do you know all that?" he asked.  
  
Kiros smirked. "Years of training and exploring the world have taught me many things about the geographical and instinctive laws of nature. Not only that, but I have studied the ways of creatures and monsters, and how they react in such situations." Kiros folded his arms. "You see, for the past decade or so, I haven't sat around twiddling my thumbs like our friend Laguna here."  
  
Laguna looked shocked. "Hey! I've done plenty to help myself AND my citizens, so quit baggin' me!"  
  
"YOUR citizens?" questioned Kiros, in a joke-like manner.  
  
"HUH??? You think they're not MY citizens?" Laguna was clearly ready to explode.  
  
"Alright, alright," uttered Kiros. "Calm down now."  
  
Squall put his hand to his forehead and just shook his head. Sometimes, those two acted as if they were still in the Galbadian Army, still mindlessly running around everywhere, and bickering like children.  
  
After a few minutes, Selphie and Irvine approached the others, Irvine's arm around Selphie, and Selphie grinning like all her birthdays had come at once.  
  
"Shall we head off then?" asked Irvine, casually trying to act as if nothing had even happened to him.  
  
"I s'pose there's nothing left for us to do here then," replied Laguna. "So let's go!"  
  
All eight comrades made their way back to the elevator they had used to come up, and waited as they neared the ground level.  
  
Quistis sighed happily, folding her arms around her body. "I'm so glad that that's over with. I thought . . . I really did think that we wouldn't be able to make it through. All of us, I mean. I know I'm just being negative, but I had my doubts. . ."  
  
"It's okay Quisty," said Selphie cheerfully. "We were all a bit worried at first, but now everything is fine and dandy, and we can go back home!"  
  
"Back to Esthar, you mean," said Zell. "Don't forget, we still have to go back and get the love of the lion's life."  
  
Selphie and Quistis laughed, seeing the expressionless look on the lion's face. But everyone knew better than to take the comments further, even though it was quite fun teasing Squall.  
  
Being reminded of Rinoa, Squall wondered what she was doing, although some instinct in his mind made him feel as though something wasn't right. These little impulses came often to Squall, when his thoughts drifted towards Rinoa. He hoped and hoped to Hyne that she was alright, even though he kept reminding himself that she would be - she was with Ellone, so what could possibly happen?  
  
Squall, after so many years, still trusted his Sis like he did when he was five. That hadn't changed a bit, and he knew that she would do everything in her power if worse came to worse - if something threatened Rinoa. For Squall didn't know it, but Ellone felt a special bond with Rinoa; she considered Rinoa to be like a sister in some ways, not only because they both loved Squall in two different ways, but also because Ellone felt as though she could relate to Rinoa. Perhaps because of their personalities, or perhaps because they both possessed two unique different powers. Whatever the case, Rinoa and Ellone truly did seem to be fairly close, even though they hadn't known each other for long.  
  
The eight stepped out of the elevator, and continued 'til they were outside again. It was strange to be outside again, for the light was quite blinding at first, after being cooped up inside for so long. But now, it seemed as though the day was nearing its end, for the sun was beginning to set.  
  
"Well," said Laguna, as they all walked along the path, headed back towards the main part of Winhill. "I really do hope that that was the last time we ever had to face something like that. I know that we've all had to face these things in our lifetimes, but there is a certain amount of bloodshed a person can take."  
  
"I know what you mean," replied Kiros. "Most of my days as a Galbadian soldier, I had been forced to take on enemies of different shapes, sizes and races. While I was in that army, I knew that every day, something horrendous was bound to happen, even if it didn't. I couldn't live the rest of my life like that - living in fear, and always looking behind my shoulder, in a sense. I only hope that none of us ever have to live this way again, although for you others, being a SeeD perhaps means that. I'm sorry if I said too much, though maybe SeeDs don't encounter the things I mentioned, as much as Galbadians."  
  
After this little speech from Kiros, Ward nodded his head slightly, showing that he had taken into account what Kiros had said, and perhaps agreed with him. For their days of fighting were hopefully completely over now. Almost.  
  
For a while, everyone was silent as they walked along, spying the beginning of the abandoned houses in Winhill. But then, Squall suddenly spoke up for the first time since the events in the Galbadian tower.  
  
"Maybe I don't want to be a SeeD."  
  
"What?!" questioned Zell and Selphie in unison, fully taken aback.  
  
"Maybe I don't want to be a SeeD anymore," said Squall slowly. "I've had enough of everything. My whole life, I've lived like Kiros said. Afraid of what'll happen next. Afraid of what might come to pass on my next mission. Afraid that I might have to go through all that pain again, if something ever happened to . . . but no, I was never really at peace in my mind. And I don't think I ever will be."  
  
No one said anything, perhaps because they couldn't. Finally, Quistis decided to speak.  
  
"No Squall. You can't just quit. It'd be like giving up. No, no one would ever understand. There are so many young SeeD candidates, dying to become just like you, and if you suddenly went away, all their hopes and dreams would just be shattered. Are you prepared to live like that? Knowing that you've let so many people down?"  
  
Squall said nothing.  
  
"I'm sorry Squall," said Quistis, after a moment's silence. "I didn't mean it like that. It just slipped out. It's just that . . . well, you're our leader, and we'd be lost without you."  
  
Then Selphie decided to say a few words. "You know, we'd really miss you if you went, Squall."  
  
Squall just stared on ahead, so Selphie decided to keep going. "But, we've also lived like you have. Almost all our lives, even though we probably haven't experienced the pain that you have. Don't forget that. And don't forget that we will always be your friend, no matter what."  
  
"And Rinoa's?" said Squall.  
  
"And Rinoa's what?" asked Selphie.  
  
"You all have to promise that you will never turn against Rinoa, no matter what," said Squall. "Promise me that you'll always be her friends, too."  
  
"Of course we would! Right everyone?" exclaimed Selphie, looking around at the group, surprised at what Squall had just said.  
  
"Always," said Irvine. "She's one of us."  
  
"She'll always be our friend, too! As if we'd think otherwise!" yelled Zell.  
  
"You didn't have to get us to promise that, Squall," said Quistis. "We wouldn't dream of turning against her."  
  
Laguna and Kiros agreed.  
  
"Rinoa will always have a soft spot in our hearts I think," said Kiros. Ward nodded in agreement.  
  
"Squall, we don't care what she does," said Laguna. "She's our friend no matter what. And how could we have anything against the girl who turned you into a bit of a softie?"  
  
Squall kept his emotions inside of him, nodded and was satisfied. Almost.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Rinoa looked at Seifer, puzzled more than ever. How could he be doing this for Garden? If anything, he was helping the Galbadians to take over it. It just didn't make sense.  
  
"But how? Why?" asked Rinoa.  
  
Seifer smirked. "Don't worry, you'll see."  
  
Rinoa wondered what had gotten into him. He seemed somehow . . . different, in a way. So she voiced the question in her head.  
  
"Have you changed Seifer? The way you're acting, it's as if you're becoming a better person."  
  
Seifer looked at Rinoa, with an expression that looked halfway between shock and utter disgust.  
  
"Hell, no," he said. "No way, you may think I'm being all nice and mushy, but you're way off. Nah, if anything, this is for my reputation, and I also can't stand Galbadians. They almost make me want to be sick. Oh and one more thing: I'm waiting for my chance to have another go at old Squally boy."  
  
"What?" exclaimed Rinoa. "No, you can't. I don't want him to be in anymore danger than he already is."  
  
"Hey lighten up a bit," said Seifer. "It's not like I'm gonna kill him or anything, although I wouldn't mind . . ."  
  
"Stop it!" said Rinoa. "Just please, tell me what's going on. I can't stand it anymore."  
  
"Well . . ." said Seifer, annoyingly. "I dunno. Should I?"  
  
"Just tell me Seifer."  
  
"Fine. Fine. Well basically, I'm kinda neutral at this point. They think I'm on their side and stuff, but I dunno, it's hard to say what I'm really doing."  
  
"Y-You're not on their side? But that's great! I can't believe it," said Rinoa. "I knew you were never REALLY that evil. So you have changed?"  
  
"Don't get your hopes up," said Seifer, even more casually than before. "I'm only doing this because I'm sick of Galbadians - I told you before; although Garden just happens to be lucky in a way. I just hate to see those scum Galbadians get their way, so you could say that I'm just doing this for me - not you, not puberty boy, not the instructor - ex-instructor I mean, not little messenger girl or cowboy brains, and not even chicken wuss. But don't start thinking that I'm on your side now."  
  
"Okay then," said Rinoa, but she felt a bit of hope surging back. "Do you have a plan of some sort?"  
  
"Dunno," said Seifer. "It's complicated, and your little head wouldn't be able to take it all in. But I could kill those G-Soldiers real easy, see? One swift swing of my Hyperion, and they're gone. . ."  
  
"Well then, where're we going?" asked Rinoa. "We must be going somewhere."  
  
"To Balamb Garden," answered Seifer. "Okay, so I do sort of have a plan, but if I tell you, you're gonna have to keep you're mouth shut. I know that you find it hard not to spill, well, you always did, but you're gonna have to try not to, otherwise everything'll be screwed. Also, in order to carry out the plan, you have to play along with what I'm about to tell you. And those thick, dense excuses for soldiers up front can't hear a word we say so it shouldn't be a problem."  
  
Rinoa looked crossly at Seifer, and then said, "But don't you think the Galbadians will have something else planned? I mean, they might trust that you're on their side, but you know what they're like - always have something else up their sleeve. We shouldn't trust that they will follow whatever plan they have."  
  
Seifer shrugged. "That's a risk we'll just have to take, then isn't it? If they don't follow according to plan, then we'll deal with that when it comes."  
  
Rinoa nodded and listened intently, as Seifer began to tell her what was about to take place. . .  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Squall didn't know what had caused that sudden outburst about everyone being Rinoa's friend, but he guessed it had something to do with a dream he had once had, a long time ago. He remembered that he had had the dream around the time when Rinoa was in a coma. The dream hadn't helped his cause in any way, not being able to speak to Rinoa and all. And as if a dream wasn't the least of his problems. But it wasn't exactly a very pleasant dream, although it made no sense at the time:  
  
He could do nothing, and he hated that. He had no power over what was taking place. He saw her running; no one was on her side. Everyone was calling her 'sorceress' and she was crying. He couldn't stand to see this taking place - seeing her like this. But he could do nothing. Only watch as the world became her enemy . . .  
  
The dream had scared Squall so much, which made him even more desperate to help Rinoa. At that period in time, Squall already loved Rinoa, even though he didn't know it, because he didn't know what love felt like; all he knew was that he had to help Rinoa. He had to know what was wrong with her. At that time though, Squall had no idea that Rinoa was a sorceress.  
  
The group continued on in silence, until Selphie decided to break it by saying, "Hey look! I can see the village now!"  
  
Sure enough, numerous houses, cottages and other small buildings started to come into everyone's view.  
  
"So . . . who's gonna tell the villagers that everything's fine now?" asked Zell.  
  
"I'll do it, I think," offered Quistis. "Laguna, would you like to come with me, so that the citizens can see you again?"  
  
"Umm, err . . . well, I -" started Laguna.  
  
"He's afraid that everyone will reject him," said Kiros. "Quistis, I think it's best if you tell everyone that the Galbadians are gone first. Then, you can inform them that Laguna is here. I think it's for the best."  
  
Quistis nodded. "Right. Well, let's go to the house which has the first half of the villagers in it. We asked the whole of Winhill to divide into two groups, to make it easier to speak to everyone."  
  
"Good plan," said Kiros. "Let's go then."  
  
"But hey," said Laguna. "Even if they don't want to see me, I'm still goin' in there to apologize, although it probably won't be enough. Just hope they don't all slaughter me, unexpectedly."  
  
Ward nodded.  
  
"HEY!" shouted Laguna, seeing Ward's silent gesture. "Why're you nodding?! Are you saying that they ARE gonna slaughter me?"  
  
Ward shrugged and Kiros read his eyes.  
  
"Ward says they could probably slaughter you if they wanted to - a whole bunch of Winhill villagers against one measly man," said Kiros.  
  
"Who're you callin' measly?!" shouted Laguna. "I happen to be the President of Esthar you know! You guys should know that you don't just have to be able to bake a pie to be President!"  
  
"But you couldn't even bake a pie," said Kiros calmly.  
  
Laguna walked away from the others for a few seconds. They could all hear him counting, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 . . . 10."  
  
He then approached them again, obviously calmer than before.  
  
"Ah, number therapy," commented Irvine. "Works every time."  
  
"Gee Laguna," said Kiros. "I haven't seen you this worked up since our days as Galbadian soldiers."  
  
"Yeah well, I guess I was feelin' pretty excited about going on a mission and all. I mean, it was the first time in like, 10 years or so!" said Laguna.  
  
"Well, maybe not that long," said Kiros. "But sure, I guess it has been a long time."  
  
Ward nodded again.  
  
Everyone finally came to the large house that contained half of the villagers. Laguna looked around at all of the houses: the small houses that belonged to some citizens, the florist's shop and house, the item shop, the chapel and even that house where that guy lived - the guy who had kept pestering Laguna while he was staying in Winhill, saying he was nothing but trouble from the moment he set foot in their humble little town. Laguna smirked as so many memories came flooding back into his mind. Memories of the cottages and houses, memories of the friendly citizens, and memories of Raine.  
  
"Err, Quisty," said Selphie. "What about the other villagers? Won't they need to know as well?"  
  
"Oh yes, I almost forgot," said Quistis. "Well, we'll just do the same thing as we do for the first lot. Inform them of our victory, and then see if they'll see Laguna again, after all this time."  
  
Selphie nodded happily.  
  
Quistis stepped up to the door, and knocked politely, while everyone else waited nervously.  
  
A jolly-looking man opened the door this time, and when he saw Quistis, he beamed cheerfully. "Well, err . . . Quistis, yes that's right. You're back. How goes the mission to defeat those Galbadians?"  
  
Quistis grinned and said, "You can tell everyone that we are victorious. Winhill is no longer under invasion."  
  
A few others heard and started shouting and acting as if a miracle had just occurred, which to the Winhill citizens, it was a miracle.  
  
"They're gone! They're gone! Oh I almost gave up hope of ever being free!" some were shouting.  
  
"How can we ever thank you?" a middle-aged woman said.  
  
"We don't require any reward, of any sort," replied Quistis, still smiling. "We performed this mission solely to aid you all, not to gain money or resources of any sort. Besides, we are SeeDs, and are forbidden to receive any gifts of any shape or form from those which we aid."  
  
One old lady almost had tears in her eyes. "But there should be something we can do to help you."  
  
"Oh no, really there isn't . . . unless . . ." said Quistis thoughtfully.  
  
"Yes? Anything," said an old man.  
  
"Well, I know this may be asking a little much, but would you kindly see someone for us?" asked Quistis. "I think I mentioned his name before; he's right here in this village at this moment."  
  
The whole group of villagers hushed, understanding what Quistis was talking about.  
  
Another old man stepped forward. "You speak of Laguna, do you not?"  
  
Quistis nodded, anxiously praying that they would all accept him again.  
  
The old man shook his head saying, "It is true. We have not seen or heard from Laguna for . . . I think nearly 10 years. Maybe more. But not once has he come back to Winhill. Not once did he ever consider us in his President head. Therefore I do not feel that we should see him or -"  
  
"That's not true," said a voice behind Quistis. She turned, and saw with dismay that Laguna was standing right behind her. Unwillingly, Quistis let Laguna through until he was facing the villagers. An expression that said, "What do you think you're doing!?" was seen on Quistis' face. She hadn't planned for him to just come right in.  
  
A sudden outcry arose from all who were situated in the room, as Laguna was once more seen in Winhill. No one spoke; just gasped and gaped. A few people muttered things like, "Laguna" and "why is he here?".  
  
Laguna gathered the courage to speak to all these faces. "It's not true. I thought of you all every day, waiting for the chance to come back. And that's why I've returned, even if it is for the briefest of moments."  
  
Still, no one said anything, so Laguna spoke again. "I'd like to apologize to everyone. I'm sorry. Sorry for everything. Truly, I never wanted anything to happen to this place. It's where me, Raine and Elle all lived a happy life together. I know that I have made mistakes. Too many, actually. But I want everyone to know that I never stopped loving Raine. She was everything to me. She still is. Just thought you'd like to know that I never intended for it to look like I'd abandoned her . . ."  
  
Laguna looked around, one last time before turning away. He was about to walk out when Emily, the young mid 20's girl stopped him.  
  
"Wait! Please don't go!" she said. "I-I wanted to know how Elle was doing. Please tell me she's happy."  
  
Laguna turned back to everyone. Then he grinned. "Of course. She's as happy as anything. She's living with me in Esthar - the only person who reminds me of you guys, because she often talks about our past life in Winhill."  
  
"So . . ." said the old man who had so easily rejected Laguna beforehand. "You are taking good care of her then?"  
  
Laguna nodded. "Of course. I would NEVER ever let anything happen to 'lil Ellone! She's like, well . . . the only child I ever really had."  
  
"That's not true though," spoke up another middle-aged woman.  
  
Laguna scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah I know Ellone's not REALLY mine, but it's almost exactly the same."  
  
"That's not what I meant," replied the woman. "My name is Jaclyn Lake and I helped deliver Raine's baby."  
  
Laguna looked away. "Raine's baby . . . I wish it could've been different. I wish that child had . . . survived. But I know that wherever they are, they're both . . . together."  
  
"No, Laguna, you've got it all wrong," said Jaclyn. "Raine's and your baby is alive. He was sent away after . . . Raine passed away."  
  
"What!?"  
  
No one spoke. Laguna stepped back, and slowly turned his head towards Kiros and Ward. Ward looked at Kiros, and Kiros looked back at Ward. Laguna could sense something was going on. Something important.  
  
"Hey . . . you guys?" questioned Laguna. "What's going on here?"  
  
Kiros closed his eyes and opened them again. "Laguna, both Ward and I were informed, a short time after you became president, that Raine had given birth to a child - your child. But tragically, Raine didn't make it after the birth, and this information was passed onto you."  
  
Laguna said nothing, so Kiros continued. "We decided that it was best that you didn't know that your child was alive, because this would most definitely disrupt your presidential duties to Esthar, so we had some Estharian soldiers tell you . . . I'm, we're sorry."  
  
Laguna shook his head. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Well, you're probably right. I would've gone off to look for my child, so you probably did what you did for the best. But now that I know . . . well, no hard feelings, right?"  
  
Kiros and Ward smiled.  
  
Laguna turned back to the Winhill villagers, smiling. "Thanks very much for everything, guys. Let's just say that us taking care of the Galbadians was my belated apology. Sorry for everything, and next time something like this happens again, just call Esthar's President, right?"  
  
"Right!" a few people shouted. Clearly, some people were still fans of Laguna Loire.  
  
Laguna raised his hand as a sign of farewell, and stepped out of the door. Before he could fully though, a woman said, "Wait, don't you worry about telling the others everything. We'll handle that."  
  
"Thank you very much," said Quistis. "That would save us lots of time."  
  
And Laguna waved his last goodbye to the citizens of Winhill, as he stepped out into the town square. The group of eight fighters walked past the other house, but did not go in. Instead, Zell looked in the window, and a couple of people spotted him. Zell made a gesture - the thumbs-up sign, and everyone knew what had happened.  
  
The citizens from the first house stepped out of their house, and watched as the eight peace-keepers walked away. Soon, the ones in the other house opened the door and came flooding out, each knowing why everyone was smiling.  
  
As Laguna smiled once more to the citizens of Winhill, something strange happened. First, someone started clapping, then another, and another. And soon every single villager of Winhill was clapping and cheering like mad. Selphie grinned and she too, began "woo hooing". Irvine put two fingers in his mouth and started whistling loudly. Everyone waved to the Winhill citizens as they walked back, towards the way in which they had first come. And the citizens waved back, cheering just as loud as ever. The eight liberators knew why.  
  
They had finally accepted Laguna.  
  
A/N: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I'm BACK AGAIN! I have finally emerged from the dismal shells of writer's block! And finally, I've updated! So sorry to everyone. I can't seem to update as quick as I used to, and I'm really angry with myself for not being able to do it. But I'd like to ask something: how do you make your writing italics or bold?? Every time I update, it never comes out as italics or bold, when I have inserted them in my Word document. Hmm, can someone please tell me? That'd be great if someone could, but I don't know or don't think anyone else has the same problem! Help!!!  
  
Once again I'd like to thank those who reviewed last time:  
  
The Angel of the Lion - thanks so much for always reviewing!!!! ( (  
  
Renegade Seraph - thanks for giving me good mental support!  
  
Momiji-chan - glad you still like the RPG feel!!  
  
lionhearted - I'd never kill off poor old Irvine!  
  
Erm, I'm not exactly sure whether or not some of these reviewers are still reading this. Well if not, it doesn't matter so much. But reviews are greatly appreciated. Until the next chapter . . . thanks!  
  
Oh yeah and, happy belated Christmas!!! Hope everyone had a great New Year too!!! 


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